#the fic will be as soft and delicate as bible's hands

[mykneeshurt]

Absolution

Image from wallpaper flare

Priest! Simon Riley x F! reader AU

Warnings - 18+, minors DNI, explicit smut, religious themes, if you're interested in going to heaven this ain't the fic for you, this is incredibly blasphemous so if your easily offended by religious themes being used DNI

100% inspired by @dotcie - you let all your love rot inside you

Thank you to @luminousbeings-crudematter for encouraging this and helping me with multiple ideas and beta reading it for me!

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The church was dark, the late evening sun shone through the stained-glass window above the altar. Hues of blue, red, green and purple descended into the empty church. Candles lined the walls, each mounted by a gold baroque style holder. The flames flickered as the warm summer air kissed them gently.    Stone arches adorned the walls, each one intricately designed with faces of angels and demons. You walked along the aisle touching each of the pews with your fingertips, the wood was stained a deep walnut colour. Each seat perfectly imperfect, littered with the scars of the congregation who graced their presence. 

Your eyes roamed along the paintings of different bible passages, all hung delicately along the sandstone walls. Each painting an abyss of pain and torment, each brush stroke a testament to the sheer emotion the artist must have felt. 
 
As you reached the altar you once again questioned why you were here. You sunk to your knees seeking sanctuary, the maroon carpet offering some comfort to your aching joints. The weight of what you’d done pressed heavily on your heart. So much so silent tears fell, staining the carpet beneath you. 
 
‘Are you ok?’ A voice from behind you asked, it was gentle and calm. Gasping you spun around, stood before was a shadow of a man. He was tall, his broad physique clearly visible through the shadows. ‘Oh! I’m so sorry I didn’t know anyone else was here’ you stammered, your breath catching in your chest. 
 
He stepped forward out of the shadows and into the light. As the sun rays illuminated him before you his divine beauty was slowly revealed. His jaw was sharp, his lips plump and soft with a small scar cutting through them. His hair was a sandy colour which was swept away from his face, bar a few strands which hung lazily on his forehead. He wore all black, his sleeves rolled up revealing a tattoo on his forearm. 
 
You stayed kneeling, feeling unable to move, unable speak. He stood before you extending his hand to cup your chin, his touch was merciful, soft, all consuming. Slowly he caressed your cheek, his thumb wiping away the solitary tear that stained your skin. His gaze pierced through you, eyes dark and possessive, a foreboding presence lurking in the void. 
 
‘Tell me what’s bothering you?’ He asked, voice calm but thicker than molasses. You tried to find the words, tried to articulate the feelings deep within you, but the words wouldn’t come. ‘Use your words’ he cooed, still cupping your jaw. All moisture suddenly evaporated from your mouth as you opened your lips to speak. ‘I … I did something bad’ you stammered. 
 
‘Is it forgiveness you seek?’ 
‘Yes Father’ your voice all but a whisper, yet still echoing in the empty church. He hummed to himself, dropping his gaze to your lips. ‘Stay’ he ordered as he removed his hand, a silent whimper falling from your lips as your cheek cooled from his touch. 
 
He walked to the alter and despite his muscular stature he moved almost silently. Like a ghost. As he turned back to you, he held the Ciborium in his hands, the emerald colour contrasting perfectly against his porcelain skin. Towering over you he pulled the host from the cup ‘I have a passage I’d like you to read, but first, take the body of Christ.’ 
 
Holding out your hand you waited for him to place it in your hands, except he didn’t. ‘Open’ he said forcefully. Lowering your hand, you opened your mouth sticking out your tongue. A small smirk tugged at your lips as he placed the thin wafer onto it. The host slowly dissolved on the heat of your tongue, as did any remaining sanity. He pulled your lower lip with his thumb ‘good.’ 
 
He motioned for you to follow him to the lectern, a black bible with gold rimmed pages sat unassumingly on the shelf. Placing you in front of him he bent you over slightly, your body completely pliable in his hands. He gently skimmed the pages with his fingers, the tattoo now fully visible. Veins kissed the surface of his skin as the defined muscles danced with every movement. 

Finally he stopped on the page he was looking for: Proverbs 28:13. His face was dangerously close to yours, so much so you could see the texture of his skin. A small amount of stubble littered his skin as his breath fanned over your neck. Lowering his lips to your ear he whispered ‘read, and no matter what don’t stop.’ His words vibrated down your spine straight to your aching pussy, taking a deep breath you began to read

‘Whoever conceals their sins …' his hand slipped to your lower back, but his eyes were fixed firmly on the text in front of you.

Gulping you tried to continue ‘... does not prosper …' his fingers grazed the back of your thighs, causing you to buck your hips slightly.

‘... but the one who confesses …' a whine exuded from the back of your throat, guttural and desperate.  ‘Shhh, keep going’ he whispered in your ear. Swallowing hard you tried again.  

‘… and renounces them …’ his fingers slipped past the hem of your panties, the sudden contact made you jump, you bit your lip trying to stifle a moan. ‘Good girl, keep going.’   ‘ … finds mercy.’ As the last word slipped past your lips, he sunk his finger into your wet cunt causing you to lurch forward onto the lectern, gripping the sides for balance. ‘Read it again’ he ordered. Taking a deep breath, you did as you were told, sounding out each word, each syllable laced with desire and pleasure. He slowly added another finger, stretching your pussy with his girth. Your whine rang out in the desolate church, ricocheting off the sandstone walls as he pumped his fingers. He pressed his thumb against your clit, once wet with your tears it was now wet with your arousal.  

Soon enough you were tripping over your words, a stuttering mess under his touch. With his free hand he wrapped it around your throat pulling you close to him, his fingers still orchestrating a flurry of moans from you. You were completely lost in him, your jaw slack as whimpers and gasps seeped from your very soul. You were so lost in fact you didn’t even realise he’d manoeuvred you towards the altar, the cool granite kissed your skin as he pressed you against it.  

Removing his fingers, he placed them on his tongue savouring your arousal, his gaze once again found yours ‘fuckin sinful’ he growled. Using his muscular arms, he trapped you against the altar the warmth of his skin seeping into yours like a virus. Reaching behind you he grabbed the gold chalice and took a sip of the wine, never once breaking eye contact with you. Gripping your chin, he tilted it, so you were looking directly up at him, slowly he placed his lips against yours allowing the wine to trickle into your mouth. A single drop trickled down your neck, his tongue was soon pressed against your skin lapping it up.  

You pulled him by his shirt collar into another kiss, it was velocious and messy. He gripped at your thighs pulling you up onto the altar, tilting you backwards the wine fell causing the once pristine white cotton to turn red with your sins. He nipped at your collar bone as he raked his nails along your skin, moaning into his mouth it was too much but not enough all the same time. He kissed along your torso and onto your abdomen, his lips teased the sliver of skin which poked out between your top and skirt. Goosebumps trickled along your skin as he bit the sensitive skin.  

Pulling at his hair you silently begged him to continue, silently pleading with him to taste you. Keeping his eyes on yours he lifted your leg onto his shoulder, he ripped your panties at the seam and placed his lips onto your weeping cunt. The sudden intrusion caused you to arch your back and moan into oblivion. His eyes pierced yours as he moved his tongue in languid motions, each swipe pulling another whimper from your chest. You gripped his hair digging your nails into his scalp, God rays cascaded around you encapsulating you both in this moment of pure sin. As the priest looked up you could have sworn it was Lucifer himself staring right back at you.  

‘Fuck … don’t stop’ you whined, finally finding words to use, finally finding your voice. Kissing his way back up your body he hovered over you for a moment, his stare intense and dominating. ‘Simon’ he muttered. You hummed, not quite catching what he said. ‘My name … Simon’ he repeated, edging closer to your lips once more. Pulling your lips open he allowed a dribble of saliva to drop into your mouth, instinctively you swallowed allowing the ribbon of spilt to glide down your throat.  

‘Please fuck me Simon’ you said as you placed your lips on his once more. Pulling away he unbuckled his trousers allowing his cock to spring free. Still staring at you intently he began to pump his hard cock ‘allow me this and I shall absolve you of all your sins.’ You could hear how breathless he was behind his stoic demeanour, a man on the edge of losing control.  

‘Yes Father, please.’  

Slowly he pushed into you, once again stretching your cunt, the sting was delicious. You both gasped as he filled you to the brim, bottoming out in one swift motion. He placed his forearms next to your head as strands of hair fell forward framing his face perfectly. The sun had moved slightly causing the coloured glass to reflect onto your bodies as you became one. He kissed you again, except this time you bit his lip causing it to bleed, ‘hmm, the blood of Christ’ you said smirking. Lowering his head to your neck he smiled into your skin ‘Amen.’  

He began to move his hips back and forth, caressing the sweet spot within you. The sound of skin on skin reverberated in the church, filling the once silent, once holy place with the sin of lust. Placing his hand around your throat he hissed through his teeth ‘beg me for forgiveness, for I will be your absolution.’ Tears stung the corners of your eyes as he fucked you on the altar, each thrust took you to a new level of pleasure. You ran your nails along his shirt, desperately trying to imagine what his skin felt like.  ‘Please, forgive me’ you whined as you rolled your hips into him ‘please father … please.’  

Upping his pace, he held onto your hips as he dug his fingertips into your flesh. Small grunts and breathless whimpers filled the space between you as he allowed himself to give into his primal desires. Rolling his hips, he dragged his cock against your cunt making you feel every movement, every thrust, every inch of him. Pulling your hand off his back he placed it on your clit ‘show me’ he murmured ‘show me how you like it.’ Feeling yourself instantly tighten you began to play with your clit, you watched as he dropped his eyes to watch the show you were putting on for him, his mouth opening slightly before biting his lip.   

Your breath began to catch in your throat as you felt yourself on the brink of orgasm, as your eyes rolled you caught sight of Mary looking down on you, watching you getting fucked within an inch of your life on the once pure altar. Wrapping your legs around him you pulled him closer, not wanting to let him go.  ‘Faster’ you begged, ‘harder Father please.’ He let out a slight chuckle of disbelief, once again placing his hand around your throat ‘you’re insatiable.’ Biting your lip you giggled, but that giggle was soon replaced with a broken guttural moan as he slammed his hips into yours. This was enough to push you into the blinding light of your orgasm, your back arched off the wine-stained cloth as you came around his cock. Shockwaves of pleasure shot through every fiber of your body as rode out your high.  

As the white noise from your orgasm finally dissipated your eyes met with his, his gaze was piercing, all knowing and consuming. His pace became sloppy, knowing he was close you sat up and pushed him away. Turning him round so his back was now against the altar you dropped to your knees, staring up at him like you did mere moments ago. You placed his cock on your tongue as the sweet bitterness of your combined arousal seeped over your tongue, ready to receive him. He looked down on you blocking out the sun, the light giving the illusion of a halo around him, but you knew when you were looking the devil in the face.  

Slowly you took his cock to the back of your throat, the change in sensation causing him to throw his head back and hiss. He cradled the back of your head as you bobbed back and forth, humming a hymn softly to yourself, praising the man before you. The humming caused vibrations to travel down his thick cock adding a whole new layer of pleasure to this already wicked act. He became breathless as you worked his cock in your mouth, you could feel the change in him as you dragged your tongue along his shaft. ‘Yes’, he whispered softly, repeating it like a prayer. Looking up at him you pleased with him to let go, to finish what he’d started.  

And that he did. You kept looking up at him as he came in your mouth, doe like eyes eager to please the man in front of you. His mouth was parted slightly as ragged breaths fell from his lips; he caressed your jaw as you swallowed. His touch just as soft and possessive as before.  

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LMAO see you in hell x

@cowyolks @strlingsav @ave661 @glitterypirateduck @soapyghost        

[paint-music-with-me]

be honest with me - am I insane for planning a vegaspete fic where....Pete is a pet shop owner or a veterinarian and Vegas comes in either looking a pet (obvi he gets the hedgehog ... and possibly a date) or wanting to ask questions about a pet that he recently bought from the store????

am I insane for wanting to write it???

[whereisten]

Devotion/Obsession

A Jaehyun fic that’s part of our Halloween Series!

Summary: Jaehyun is new to town and wants you to show him around. But the truth is, he has known you for a while..

Pairing: Lucifer!Jaehyun x female reader

Other Characters: Husband!Kun

Genre: angst, smut, horror

Warnings: cursing, alcohol use, cheating, stalking, obsession, possessiveness, smut: breeding kink, unprotected sex, nipple sucking, size kink, fingering, oral sex (female receiving), multiple orgasms, c*eampie, pregnancy, character death.

Word Count: 8.9K

(A/N: okay ummm...this is influenced by stories told in the Bible, I hope I do not offend you with my interpretation, Jaehyun in this is a huge stalker!! This isn’t love, he’s obsessed and it’s unhealthy. But I hope you guys enjoy❤️ THANK YOUUU ARI FOR PROOFREADING THIS FOR ME I LOVE YOUUUU❤️❤️❤️❤️😭)

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Long ago, there were two beings on Earth, Adam and Eve. They were created by God and tainted by Lucifer, the serpent. The serpent found himself in love with God’s creation, Eve, for she bears a striking resemblance to his first love, Lilith, whom God cursed and sent away. 

God’s most beautiful angel, Lucifer, fell in love with Lilith even though he was forbidden by God to do so. He tried to fight for her in a war against the angels of Heaven, but was struck down to Hell where he could rule the dark. He saw Lilith become a demon. Her beauty had gone away as God made her ugly and it hurt Lucifer to even look at her anymore.

And so, Lucifer turned to Eve and loved her instead, polluting her mind, body, and soul and thus, causing her to be cursed by God as well. She was hidden by God from Lucifer. He grew angry and decided to continue to defy God by living on Earth and causing havoc on both small and large scales.

He went by the name of Jaehyun now, a strikingly handsome bachelor with a mansion on the outskirts of a popular city. He stayed on Earth at the exact point above hell where his throne rested so he could cause evil to run through the city unstopped.

He never forgot about Eve. After all these years, his soul still yearned for her. He cursed at God for hiding her from him and for taking not one, but two of his dearest loves away.

He would walk through the city and see all the couples enjoying each other’s company. They’d laugh and smile and he’d wish nothing but pain for them. If he couldn’t be happy, why should they?

Then one day..he saw her..he saw Eve.

————

You were packing away fruits, placing the oranges in an organized pattern so they wouldn’t fall to the floor of the supermarket. He saw you, delicately picking up the spoiled fruits and placing them into the bin to throw away later. You had a small smile on your face that made you look sweet and your fingers were soft, gentle. You looked at each fruit with adoration in your eyes, like you treasured the round balls of nectar as if they were made of gold.

He walked closer to you, still staring intently.

He wondered how you could exist, how you were here with her face, her body, her hair..you were her. It didn’t take long for him to notice the sparkling ring on your wedding finger. But he didn’t care about that, now that he had you, he would never let you go.

Even if you didn’t sound like Eve or looked at him the way she did when she was in love with him, he had to have you.

“Hello, can I help you, sir?” You turned to the man you noticed had been hanging around you for a bit too long.

Your voice was heavenly, it was the best thing he’d ever heard.

You were looking at him, awaiting his answer when you placed an apple onto the shelf. You didn’t see that placing it in that exact spot would cause for another to fall. But Jaehyun already knew.

He quickly knelt down beside you and caught the green apple as it fell.

You looked down at him and gasped. How could he move so quickly.

He stood up straight, still locking eyes with you. A smile creeps across his face.

“Here.” He hands you the apple as you look down at it still in shock.

“Oh..thank you.” You chuckled and took it from him, then started to walk away after feeling..odd.

He walked towards you. “Umm..excuse me, miss? I’m new here, and I just want to know..where can I find the best coffee?”

He looked down at your name tag.

“Y/n..” he says quietly.

His voice is smooth and nice, just as nice as his perfect face, you thought it ought to have been carved by God himself. His jawline was perfect and his eyes were magnetic, you couldn’t look away.

However, you should’ve. You were married after all.

“Oh..hmm about five blocks south, you’ll find Johnny’s Café, it’s quite nice actually.”

Jaehyun wanted to ask you to join him, just so he could talk to you, just so he could get close to you and have you firmly in his grasp, never to let you disappear again. But he didn’t, he decided to wait, if he scared you away, that would only make it worse for not only him, but for you as well. The last thing he wanted was to hold you against your will just because you resembled her.

“Thank you, y/n, I’ll see you next time.” He walked close to you and nodded slowly. As if hypnotized, you never let his eyes go while you nodded.

He walked by you, leaving you breathless and almost star struck, but who was he? Why did he have this interesting glow about him that made him stand out from everyone else?

Later that day, Jaehyun followed you home. His black Lamborghini wasn’t discreet to say the least, so he had to trail behind a few hundred feet. He could see you jamming out to music in your car as you left work. 

You were adorable and happy, he loved seeing you like this.

He parked far away from your house, he walked over in a long black trench coat and watched as you went inside. You were greeted by a man that looked like...Adam..

His eyes grew into glowing red orbs, he tried hard to hold back his horns and nails.

“This is God’s idea of a joke, isn’t it?” He spoke to himself. Not only were you the exact replica of Eve, your husband was an exact replica of Adam.

You hugged your husband, Kun, hard and smiled widely, happy to see him after a long day at work.

The door clicks shut and Jaehyun stands there with steam escaping his hot ears. He had to figure out how to get rid of Kun.

————

[The Next Day]

You’re lugging around a large box of lettuce through the aisles when you see him..again.

“Hello, y/n, do you need help?” 

You stare at him. “W-what are you doing here?”

He was handsome, you had to admit, your heart couldn’t stop beating like crazy when he showed up. He was stylish in his turtleneck and jean jacket. He smelled refreshing like amber and honey.

“What? A man can’t shop for groceries?” His dimples peeked through as he smiled and tilted his head.

“Oh-no it’s just, two days in a row?”

You furrowed your brows when you sensed something wasn’t right.

Jaehyun could tell that your heart rate was rising because of his presence, you looked around like you were nervous.

“I know, it’s weird, right? But the truth is..I just wanted to see you again..” he said huskily. You felt your chest weaken.

You put the box down and turned to him. “Oh so you’re one of those creeps? Well, I’m flattered but..I’m also married.”

“That’s alright..” he gave a small smile, his dimples showing through again. You turned away. 

“So...what are you looking for today?”

“A friend.”

“A friend?” You chuckled.

He swayed from side to side and looked up to the ceiling. “Okay, I’ll get to the point..there’s a..korean barbecue place that I wanted to try..are you free after work?”

He was so strange but had an aura about him that you couldn’t ignore. His features were sharply defined and his eyes never let you go. You should’ve been creeped out but you weren’t, for he was warm and intriguing. Lately, you felt like Kun was so busy with work. You’d get home and wait hours for him, your friends were busy as well as they were either taking college classes or travel king constantly.

Sometimes, you felt you were alone, so why not start something new.

You hummed before answering. 

Jaehyun watched your cute expression, the way you looked to the floor and stuck your hands in your apron.

“I guess..I am free after work.” You nodded.

Jaehyun nearly jumped up and down right inside the store. He grinned from ear to ear.

“Just don’t pull any moves, I’m married okay?”

You teased and felt your face become warm.

“I promise I won’t.”

The two of you went to dinner at the Korean barbecue place Jaehyun wanted to try. He was enraptured by you, caught up in your presence. He was so in love and you had no idea.

You told him about places to visit in the city and he told you about where he had come from. He made up a city and a backstory to relate to you, telling you that he had investments that started from his grandparents and that’s how he made money.. He’d do anything just to keep speaking with you, even if it meant lying.

He fought hard to hold back his naturally glowing red eyes and goat-like horns. He had to remain normal so you could become his soon enough.

And when you left him and went home, he stayed outside of your house once again, using his elevated hearing skills to listen to you speak with your husband.

Kun was talking to you about some new project he had in a city about two hours away. You stayed silent, disappointed that he would be gone yet again for a business trip. Kun was the senior architect and had to present, he couldn’t skip out on these trips as much as he wanted to.

“Listen, baby I’m sorry but you know how it is.”

Kun stepped into the bathroom as you brushed your teeth. He took his shirt off as he was about to shower.

You spit water out into the sink and look at your reflection, you were trying hard to hold back your anger. Kun stood behind you and watched you through the mirror with a concerned expression on his face.

“If I knew you were going to be gone all the time, I wouldn’t have married you..”

Kun scoffed. “Don’t say that, you know you don’t mean that, y/n.” He wrapped his arms around your waist and smirked through the mirror.

His hand went to your breast and cupped it.

“I mean it, Kun, how is this supposed to work when we have a family? I want us to both be present for our kids.” 

Kun kissed along your neck, he knew you were ticklish. 

You started to giggle. “Kun..stop, you’re distracting me.”

“Ahh baby, did you just say “our kids?” Are you trying to tell me something?” He squeezed your breasts gently

You turned to him and kissed his lips. His other hand reached under your frilly nightgown, bunching it up at the waist, and to his satisfaction you wore nothing else under it. 

“Should we start right now? Should we have a family?” He brushes his clothed erection into your back as he presses his fingers over you already dripping folds. His deep voice always got you like this.

You gasped and looked at him through the mirror. Soon you were gripping the edge of the counter and crying out his name as he fucked you from behind. He grabbed your hair, pulling your head back so you could look at him through the mirror as you came all over his girthy cock.

Jaehyun heard it all, he imagined it was him bringing you to sweet paradise like he did long ago. He listened to your moans and imagined it was his name you called as your eyes rolled in the back of your head.

It pained him to have to pleasure himself as he imagined all that he would do to you. He was Lucifer, after all. He could have anyone in the dark world pleasure him without even asking twice, but he didn’t want just anyone. He wanted you, and soon he would have you right in his grasp.

————-

[1 Month Later]

Jaehyun was a regular customer at the supermarket you worked at, he’d come in at least once a day. You found it odd that he always knew when your breaks were, so he’d bring you coffee or a snack.

If he didn’t visit during his break, he’d wait for you outside so you’d go to a new place for dinner together after you clocked out.

You spoke about everything. He seemed so smart as he knew about every detail in history and taught you about the world and why things were the way they were.

You watched him intently, your eyes grew when he told you something so interesting, your heart started to race. Like the presence of aliens or ghosts and witches. They all existed and Jaehyun told you all of the evidence as you sat there, stunned.

And then, it was his turn to ask questions.

He finally asked about your husband, even though he knew everything about him.

He knew that he had a short temper sometimes but your fights would either lead to make up sex or him sleeping on the couch. He had watched you every night since finding you. He didn’t sleep, for even the thought of closing his eyes and losing sight of you made him sick to his stomach.

“My husband, Kun, is an architect. He works really hard, but he loves me and I love him. He’s really sweet, I never stop thinking about him. We got married about a year ago, and I couldn’t be happier.” You smiled as you looked down at your hot pot as thought of Kun.

“Ahh..that’s nice..he seems like a supportive partner, during your first year of marriage, have you fought a lot?” Jaehyun tilted his head while smirking.

“Nope! We don’t fight at all, we’re pretty chill, you know?”

You were lying to him and he didn’t like that, but he swallowed hard and smiled nonetheless.

“I see..” he nodded.

He realized that he’d have to work harder to get you to stop thinking about Kun. He’d have to sabotage your current relationship if he ever dreamed of being with you soon.

Killing him would be too easy, he’d have to make Kun so bad, that you’d run to him for relief.

———

[A Week Later]

You kissed Kun goodbye and wished him well for his trip. He quickly kissed you back and walked through the front door without a hug.

“Honey?” You called out to him. “Where’s my hug?” You pouted.

He threw his hand up and continued to walk towards his car. “Sorry, baby, gotta go!”

He had been acting strange these past few days, but you knew he was stressed so you brushed it off. You had had sex the night before but he wasn’t as gentle as he usually was, you could tell something had upset him as he choked you for the first time. You didn’t mind it, you were just surprised by how...different he was.

Little did you know that it was Jaehyun that was making his daily work more difficult. Kun’s important documents and files would go missing right before a presentation, his coworkers weren’t showing up for work, and his boss was always upset with him for some reason. He was starting to dislike his job and he wasn’t sure why, for this was his passion, but lately, everything seemed to be going poorly.

Kun was having difficulty sleeping as well. He’d have disturbing dreams of a place with fire and monsters with sharp teeth. He’d sweat and pant, and eventually be jolted awake in his bed, every night at 3:23 A.M. he’d go downstairs and watch something on TV or write down a few project ideas.

The lack of sleep definitely contributed to his poor mood, but he didn’t tell you for some reason.

Jaehyun watched Kun speed off. He smiled to himself, knowing that his plan was working, he was getting frustrated at work and began taking his anger out on you. 

————

[Four Days Later]

You continued to spend time with Jaehyun. You lost track of time as you watched him speak. His dimples were adorable, his voice was intoxicating and you loved staring into his deep brown eyes.

He watches you play with your wedding ring as you nod and smile at him. His smile was like a blooming garden, his laugh was like heavenly trumpets. The two of you were flirting now, and he could tell from your heartbeat that you weren’t really listening to him, instead, you were fantasizing about him. The glances turned into stares.

You watched his lips and licked your own, your face was hot, but you furrowed your brows and looked down at your ring.

What were you doing? Were you getting emotionally attached to him? You couldn’t do this, you couldn’t hurt Kun.

You got up from your seat. “Well, it’s late.. I should go.”

“Noo.. don’t leave yet.” Jaehyun stood up and touched your hand. The disappointed look in his eyes ate away at your heart. You were developing a nice friendship, but a part of you was afraid that it was becoming something more, something that couldn’t be.

“You look stressed. Do you want a drink?..we can visit that new bar in town.” Jaehyun bites his bottom lip.

A drink did sound nice, it had been a while since you and Kun went out to a bar together and sometimes you did miss the atmosphere, you were young after all, everyone else in their early twenties went out.

Jaehyun smiled to himself as he saw you contemplate your options. He knew you were worried about Kun, but he also knew you needed to have some fun.

So you agreed.

The two of you went out to a bar and drank. You laughed and joked around all night. Jaehyun pretended to be affected by the alcohol, just so he could make you laugh and see your beautiful smile.

He dropped you off home at about 1 A.M after you sobered up a bit.

You turned to him and licked your lips. “You know, Jaehyun, if I weren’t married to Kun..I would date you for sure.” You giggled and leaned in close. And all Jaehyun could think was “yes.” He wanted to feel your plump lips so badly, he wanted to caress them and make love to you to relive the best days of his life, but now was not the time.

He backed away and held your hand while searching your eyes. “Y/n...you should go inside now..”

You sighed, nodding as you opened the door to quickly leave before you could embarrass yourself any more.

You go into your house and to your surprise, Kun is there, his face red and stern as he sat on the loveseat in the living room. The room was dark, lit only by a small night light in the corner and the moonlight from outside. 

Kun was nearly fired by his boss during his trip. He was upset and frustrated, but what made matters worse was when he went home at 10 PM to see that you weren’t there. Then time went on and you still didn’t come home.

You smirked and put your bag down.

“Babyyyyy.. I missed you.” You start to crawl over his lap slowly.

He can tell from the drawn out tones in your voice that you’re drunk. He winces and turns away.

“Where were you, y/n?”

“Out with a friend..we had some drinks and talked.” You straddle him, placing his crotch in between your legs as you kneel over him. You then lean down and kiss his collarbone.

“Why are you home so late? Is it because you didn’t think I’d be home early?” Kun growled out. He wasn’t amused in the slightest by the way you were acting.

“No, baby, I just wanted to hang out with someone for a little bit, you know? I’m so lonely when you’re not here.”

You try to kiss his lips but he flicks his head to the side.

“Who’s this “friend?”

You gulp and straighten your body. You pout as you look down at him. “Baby, kiss me..don’t you miss me too?” You take the straps of your dress down before unhooking your bra and throwing it to the floor.

Jaehyun watched through an open window behind the loveseat as you kneel over an angry Kun. His eyes glow red and his horns grow out of his head as does the straining member in his pants. You in your drunken haze never noticed the pair of crimson eyes outside.

Kun doesn’t touch you or look at your breasts with nipples begging to be sucked. He wanted to take them into his mouth badly, but he was more focused on another issue at hand.

He wrapped his hand around your throat. “Tell me..their name.”

You smirked. “His name is Jaehyun..but we’re just friends, baby, I promise.”

Kun thrusts himself into you from below, grinding hard against your covered opening. You whimper and move your hips to rub your slit against him.

“Well..stop being friends with him, no guy just wants to be friends with a girl..he wants to fuck you..”

You grind down onto him harder, he squeezes his hand and grips your thigh.

“He doesn’t, he’s really nice and helps me at work sometimes.”

Kun digs his nail into your thigh causing you to cry out in pain. He digs into it so deep, he sees blood from your leg run onto his thumb.

But you reach under your dress and pull his boxers down. You still wanted him in your aching core badly, the pain only added to your yearning.

“Y/n.” He says sternly as he watches you align yourself with his hard cock. You sink down onto him slowly and let out a loud moan as it passes through the sensitive skin and rests deep in your core. You adjust to him quickly as you had already been built up by dry humping him before.

He squeezes your throat again.

“Y/n..” 

You move up and down. “Yes..” you call out before licking your lips.

He grabs your waist with both hands and lifts you off of him.

“Kun!” You cry his name after being left empty.

“You’re not gonna get out of this so easily. If you want my cock, tell me you’re done with him.”

“But, baby..”

Kun shakes his head. “Don’t. I’m your husband and you should really take into consideration how I might feel when you spend time with men, when you fucking drink alcohol with men like..like some kinda slut.”

You gasped. “Slut?” 

Kun nods. “Look at you, you’re just thirsty for any male attention. I work my ass off for a few days and you’re already looking for a replacement.”

“Kun, that’s not true.” You felt your chest rumble, as if you were about to burst into tears.

He flips you over onto the couch. “I’m your husband, aren’t I?”

You nod.

“Then do as I say, don’t go out with Jaehyun again.”

Before you can protest his thrusts into you hard and begins to choke you again.

He goes hard and fast as you mewl. 

“Baby, slower, please.”

He bites your nipple and looks down at you to see your body tremble with each rough thrust he gives you, your lips parting to let out the most heavenly moans, your round breasts moving up and down, your legs bent and spread across the loveseat.

“You’re all mine, right?”

“Yes..fuck, yes.” His thumb on your clit makes you dizzy.

“Then I’m gonna breed you, would you like that? Gonna fuck you so hard and get you pregnant.” Kun grunts into your ear.

Jaehyun grimaces outside of your window. Kun, or Adam rather, hadn’t changed at all. He still believed in a woman’s subordination to her husband. He believed from the beginning of time that a woman should lay under her husband, not above.

And now, he was trying to make you his by breeding you, making it impossible for you to break the link between the two of you. But Jaehyun had to make sure that didn’t happen, he had to stop him before he could do this to you.

————

[Three Days Later]

It’s been three days since that night and you hadn’t shown up to work. Kun made love to you day and night on your time off, he felt threatened by the presence of another male in your life and felt it necessary to remind you why you married him in the first place.

He cooked breakfast for you and bought you nice things. You even went to the movies and ice skating. You enjoyed the time off and Kun’s company, it finally felt like things were getting back to normal. You were happy.

Jaehyun, on the other hand, was furious. He knew where you were, but he couldn’t believe that you had forgotten about him so easily. He didn’t want to get violent, but maybe he would have to.

A few days later, you finally return to work and as usual, Jaehyun was there to bring you a cookie.

“Hey! Where have you been?” He asked as you put bread up on the shelves.

“Oh..I took some time off, Kun came home early so we had a little vacation..thank you for the other night though, I really had a great time.” You finally looked up at him and noticed the slightly crazed look in his eyes. His lips were tightly shut.

“That’s great. Would you like to go out again tonight?” He asks sweetly.

You sigh and shake your head. “Umm...Jaehyun..I can’t..do this..”

His smile starts to fade.

“I-I can’t pretend that we are just friends when I’ve had thoughts about you that I shouldn’t have. I’m married and it’s..really not right for me to get emotionally involved with someone.”

Jaehyun chuckles. “That’s nonsense! We are just friends.”

“But we’re not. Look..it’s best if we end this now, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t come to my work place anymore.”

Jaehyun screams internally. You were really doing as Kun said by cutting him off. Was he that disposable?

A smile still rests on his face. 

“As you wish..” he nods and leaves after handing you the cookie he brought.

You swallow hard and sigh. That was harder than you thought it would be, but it felt right. It felt like you could finally focus on your marriage with Kun.

Your day at work ended as it usually did. You closed up and walked to your car, but as you got closer you noticed a figure standing beside it.

It had two red eyes and horns peeking out of its skull.

You slowed down. “Hello?” You called out into the empty parking lot.

The figure stepped out of the shadows and under a street light, that’s when you squinted to make out its familiar features. The red eyes and horns had disappeared.

“Jaehyun?”

He stood there creepily in a long black coat and black pants. His face was unreadable and he stayed silent.

You walked closer. “Jaehyun, what are you doing here?”

“You know..” Jaehyun scratches his head and laughs.

“I think we should grab something to eat.”

“Jaehyun..” you looked to the side and away from his somber face. You were just a few feet away from each other now.

“We’ll just be eating, we don’t even have to talk.” Jaehyun stepped forward and pleaded.

He didn’t want to lose you, he couldn’t lose you, not after all this time when he had finally gotten so close.

“I can’t, Kun is waiting for me.” You looked up at him with wide eyes.

Jaehyun felt his body tremble whenever you looked at him like that.

He suddenly leaned forward and kissed your lips hard. You fell into him for a brief moment, but then realized what was happening. You quickly bit his lip and pulled away.

“Jaehyun!” You rubbed your lip. “What the hell?!”

He licked the blood on his lips and frowned after your warmth disappeared.

“I’m sorry, I just-“ he reached out for you again but you backed away and opened your car in a rush.

“Leave me alone! I never want to see you again!”

Jaehyun only watched as you scurried into your car seat and locked the car doors.

He banged on the window hard, you jumped from the sound for you were terrified by him. You saw a dark flint in his eyes that you’d never seen.

Tears ran down your cheeks as you put the car in drive.

You sped out of the parking lot and away from him.

“I’ll never let you go, y/n, now that I have you..I’ll never let you go.” He whispered to himself.

————-

[1 Month Later]

The honeymoon feeling you felt with Kun soon dissipated as things went back to how they’d usually been. He spent his time at work and would come home upset, some nights he didn’t even speak to you. He looked sleep deprived and when you asked him about it, he’d have a fit and say he’s fine.

Some nights he wouldn’t look at you, you couldn’t remember the last time you had made love.

He was always short with you, but lately, you found it increasingly difficult to deal with his negative mood. Is this really who you wanted to be married to?

Jaehyun had been messing with him, he’d purposely make every day difficult for him. Kun couldn’t sleep most nights, but when he did, Jaehyun made sure to fill his mind with dark scenes to scare him. Sometimes he’d throw in false images of you making love to a faceless man. It gave Kun the feeling that he was walking in on you cheating on him. He would wake up from these nightmares but they felt so real, he couldn’t ignore how upset they made him.

Kun was paranoid, he felt like someone was out to get him and he didn’t know who it could be, but he didn’t trust even you as much as he did three months ago.

Then one night, you came home late because of a terrible thunderstorm and traffic. You were only about an hour late, but Kun was already home and steaming on the couch.

“Where were you?” He asked as soon as you entered the house.

You exhaled loudly. “Oh, so now you speak to me.”

“Yeah, I’m speaking to you, I’m asking a fucking question.”

You raised your brows. “And who are you to talk to me like that?”

“I’m your husband, or did you forget that when you fucked him tonight?” Kun bit back as he sat up in the chair.

Your face wrinkled as you placed your bag down.

“What are you talking about?”

“Jaehyun..do you think I’m some kind of idiot? I know you’re still seeing him.”

You scoffed. “Wowww Kun.”

You walk away to the kitchen to get some water.

“No, don’t “wowww” me, tell me I’m lying!” His voice started to raise, he walked into the kitchen after you.

“Kun..you sound ridiculous right now, I’m late because there’s a thunderstorm, or do you not hear it just like you don’t hear your phone ringing when I call you?” You asked sarcastically.

“If you’re gonna be late, you should tell me.”

You gulped down your water. “I don’t have to report anything to you! You’re not my king or whatever you think you are.”

“I’m your husband! And you should treat me like a king because look at this house, you wouldn’t be in it if it weren’t for me.”

Your eyes widened. “Are you really holding the house over my head? Wow Kun, you’ve really hit rock bottom, haven’t you?”

Kun chuckles. “Maybe Jaehyun lives somewhere nice, why don’t you go to him since I’m not your king.”

“Okay, here we go again, why are you so insecure, Kun?!” 

The two of you went back and forth that night. You broke down in tears as Kun said hurtful things that left you stunned. 

“I want a divorce!” You yelled and stormed out.

You jumped into your car and drove away, you didn’t know where you were going to go, but you knew you needed to be away from him.

You dialed up Jaehyun who had heard the entire conversation from outside of your house.

“Hello?” He said with the faked tone of confusion in his voice.

“Jaehyun..I need to see you.”

You drove to his house.

It was an incredibly large mansion, and when you went inside, the walls were lined with gold and red velvet curtains. It looked beautiful, unreal almost.

You wondered how Jaehyun could live in an expensive place at such a young age.

Jaehyun looked at your magnificent face as your mouth dropped open.

“Investments.” He smirked.

You laughed and looked back at him. His eyes were warm, his smile was bright.

He could tell you had been crying so once in the foyer he steps close to you and searches your wet eyes.

He runs his thumb along your cheek as you gaze up at him.

“What happened, love?”

You shook your head. “It’s Kun..we fought, I just..I don’t know, Jaehyun, I don’t think we can make it.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, y/n..”

“I love him, I really do but..” you look to the side and sniffle.

“Is he controlling, y/n?”

Your eyes flicker up to him. You nod slowly.

“Is he the reason why you stopped hanging out with me?”

You nod again.

Jaehyun purses his lips. “Y/n..he’s threatened by you, he doesn’t want you to be independent now that you’re married. He wants to control you and that isn’t a partnership. That isn’t love.”

Your eyes brim with tears once again. “Jaehyun..I don’t want to think about him right now...I want to feel loved, can you do that for me?”

Jaehyun’s dark soul nearly escapes his body. “Of course.” 

You place both hands on his head and kiss him slowly and sensually. You both close your eyes as you fall into him more, his arms wrapping around you to bring you closer to him. He wants to become one with you, feel you, smell you, to be completely enraptured by you for eternity.

Time stood still and your heart fluttered as it was finally being satisfied by something it had craved from the first moment you met Jaehyun.

He too felt everything slow down to a crawl, your lips tasted like the sweetest fruit, your hands were soft like plush blankets.

He pulls away to breathe, his hot breath hitting your now swollen lips. “So beautiful” he whispers into them, then kisses you again in the dim lighting of his house.

He takes you into his arms and carries you to one of his many bedrooms.

“I will take you higher than the heavens themself, just give in to me.” He whispers softly.

He lays you down gently onto the fluffy bed and watches as you relax into it, your hair looking gorgeous as it lays against the white sheets, your neck just begging for soft kisses or hastily made bite marks, cute nose and round, swollen lips. He looks into your wide eyes and smiles. “You’re stunning.” He kicks his shoes off and crawls over you.

You giggled and held him by the hem on his shirt. “Jaehyun...kiss me.”

He leaned down and kissed you as you asked. He was transported back to when your name was Eve and the two of you made love in the garden. Your lips taste the same as hers, your skin feels the same, your touch and everything else was the same. Jaehyun was more than pleased to finally be experiencing your love again.

You start to take your pants down your legs and eventually kick them off. Jaehyun takes his clothes off as well, then watches you take your hoodie off to reveal your breasts.

Without hesitation, he lays his tongue flat against the perky nub, coating it with his spit. He then swirls his tongue around it while he massages the other breast that he hasn’t tasted yet. 

You moan and run your fingers through his hair.

His fingers press onto your thigh, then work their way to your sensitive skin between your legs. You tremble as they brush lightly against it.

You arch your back, telling him silently that you want him to go further. He sucks your nipples harder and listens to another moan leave your beautiful lips.

He takes two fingers and uses them to part your folds. He circles his fingertips around your entrance to collect the liquid that has formed from you being so turned on already.

He kisses the skin in between your breasts.

“You taste so sweet.”

He pushes his fingers into you slowly, your legs widen a bit to adjust to him. His fingers are long and slender, but it doesn’t take much time before his knuckles hit your most sensitive part.

“Jaehyun..” you exhale.

His fingers glide in and out of you slowly, he curls his finger tips to press right onto the fleshy spot that makes your head spin. He flicks his tongue across your breast as his fingers work on your needy area.

He looks up at you through low eyes, your dainty fingers grasping onto the sheets tightly.

“So-so close.” You whimper.

His fingers move faster, pressing onto your clenching walls as you get closer.

He then kneels and looks down at you as his fingers still move back and forth.

He licks his lips and lowers his face to the apex of your open legs. He flicks his tongue across you slit now, combining the action of his tongue with his finger to drive you crazy.

He moves his tongue in circular motions onto your clit as his finger moves in faster and presses onto your g-spot harder.

His long tongue flattens onto you repeatedly. 

You cry out his name one final time before cumming onto his fingers. He continues to rub his nose onto your clit and lick inside you as you climax and shake.

You try to push your body up away from him, but he holds your waist down firmly and continues to eat you out.

“Jaehyun!” You look down at him to see his eyes, almost with a glint of red in them, looking up at you sternly.

He places a kiss onto your folds then crawls over you to face you. He licks his lips. 

“Y/n, my love, I will never force you to bow down to me, you are my queen, you always have been. I will not lose you like I did so long ago.”

You’re slightly confused, but you nod and kiss him. He lays down beside you and takes your waist into his hands as his tongue now dances with yours.

He brings your body over on top of his.

Your skin becomes littered with goose pimples as he runs his hands up and down your thighs.

You kneel over his intimidating length and take in a sharp breath while running your hands along his chest and abs. He, too, was magnificent, like a painting or sculpture come to life.

He takes your hand in his and watches your naked body above him. 

He remembered the first time you made love, you rode him that time too, bringing him to his most memorable orgasm of all time.

You sink down onto him slowly, your head falling back instantly.

You couldn’t stop your pussy from clenching around him as he stretched you out so well and stimulated you just from being halfway in.

He pushes up into you to help you. You feel his cock buried deep inside you, running against your silky walls and pressing onto your sweet spot once more.

He curved into you so perfectly. You bite your lips and swivel your hips as you move up and down. He grabs your ass and brings it down onto him. 

He groans when you quiver around him and it is a low sound that you’ve never heard before, it’s almost animalistic.

But it’s hot, and pushes you closer to the edge.

Jaehyun watched your body shimmer in the low, warm lighting of the room. Your face is adorable, your skin is soft and glistens, you smell like vanilla. He wished he could have you like this forever, gliding down onto him, your breasts moving up and down as you whimper and moan from the feeling of his cock stretching you out.

You are his Heaven.

He thrusts up into you harder. The sound of skin slapping against skin fills the room as does your groans and cries.

Jaehyun fits you so perfectly, you’re on the brink of tears, you're weak and ride him sloppily as you chase your high.

Jaehyun knows this and flips you over onto your back in a swift move. He places your legs onto his shoulders and pushes into you. His hips slap against yours as he kisses you again.

He uses his ability to grow even more while inside you.

His eyes glow red but your eyes are closed as he fucks into you from above now.

“Jaehyun..fuck..” Tears escape your eyes. Your pussy clenches uncontrollably around his cock.

He runs his palm onto your belly and feels his cock twitch in the pit of your stomach. “I’m so deep inside you, do you like feeling me? Do you want me to release deep inside you?”

He moves faster.

You arch your back. “Fill me up, please, I want you inside me so badly.” You whimper out.

Jaehyun licks his thumb and places it onto your clit. He licks your breast again and sucks hard.

You cum hard and shake.

He climaxes as well, cumming deep inside you as you let out a stream of curses. You had never orgasmed so hard, but something about Jaehyun has you trembling for several minutes. He was able to deliver pleasure just as he was able to deliver pain in the underworld.

He rubs his thumb along the side of your sweaty face while watching his cum leak out of you.

“My love..would you like me to fuck you again?”

His voice is gravelly, but confident, for he already knows the answer.

You nod and within a few milliseconds you’re on your chest with your ass up in the air. Jaehyun pounds you into the bed and has you calling out his name several times that night.

You fall asleep after climaxing many times. You felt amazing, like a weight had been lifted from your shoulders. Jaehyun held you in his arms and cuddled you to sleep.

“Y/n..I’m happy you’re mine now.”

————

[The Next Day]

Jaehyun woke up to see that you left him, you had snuck out and drove back home.

You left a note for him explaining that you couldn’t be in a relationship with him for your heart belonged to Kun. 

“Thank you for being here for me, I am sorry for coming to you during my weakest moment. I hope you will respect my wish to not see you again, as I must remain steady in my marriage to Kun.

With Love, Y/n” 

Jaehyun crumbles up the note and sets fire to it in his hands. His horns grow large and his eyes beam red, furious is an understatement.

How could you do this to him? He made love to you, gave you the best love you’d ever had and you still went back to him.

He would make sure to ruin Kun, for if he couldn’t have you, no one else should.

————

[3 Months Later] 

Jaehyun was still hurt by you leaving him that night, but he knew there was nothing he could do. A part of him wanted you to be happy, but a part of him wanted to destroy Kun so he could have you all to himself.

He had planned to get rid of him until he discovered that you were pregnant. He wasn’t sure if the baby was his or Kun’s, but he did know that if he were to kill Kun you would potentially lose the baby from devastation. He couldn’t do that to you, he couldn’t cause that pain even if he was satisfied by Kun’s death.

So he watches you from afar, imagining once again that it was him preparing for a baby instead of Kun.

The two of you looked happy, maybe it was the child that was making things different.

Either way, he hated seeing you so happy without him.

————

[8 Months Later]

You give birth to your son. You and Kun raise it together and take turns watching it during the night. 

One day, Jaehyun visits you while you cradle the baby at home alone.

You open the door and your smile falls.

Jaehyun, however, smiles harder when he sees your pretty face, glowing from the post pregnancy hormone changes.

Seeing you like this makes him want to get you pregnant all over again.

“J-Jaehyun?” You hadn’t seen him since that night, but he still looked good.

“Y/n..it’s been so long, hasn’t it?”

Something about him being there after so much time made you uneasy.

“Well..can I come in?” Jaehyun gives a half smile.

You nod and let him in.

You hold your baby and sit in a rocking chair. “So..what brings you here?”

“I’m here to see my child of course!”

Your brows furrow. “YOUR..child?”

Jaehyun smirks and steps closer to you. He smiles to himself as he looks at the baby.

“Come on, y/n, did you forget how many times I buried my seed into your beautiful cunt that night?”

You shook your head. “Don’t speak like that, please. I was weak, I-I was sad and broken..”

“Of course, but you loved it, you loved all of it.” He looked up to the ceiling and shut his eyes.

“I can still hear your moans right now.”

“Kun is the father, Jaehyun..this isn’t up for debate.”

“And if he’s not?” He tilts his head and looks back down at you.

“Well, he is. I’ll raise this child with my husband, regardless of who the biological father is, we have no place for you in this house.”

“Tsk tsk...keeping me away from my own child? Y/n..that’s not very nice of you, my love.”

“Don’t call me that!” Your voice rose slightly. “We had one night together, I don’t want to be with you, I will never be yours.”

“You’re already mine, y/n, you always will be, don’t you understand, after all these years?”

You shook your head. “Jaehyun.. you’re crazy. I’d like you to leave.”

You reached your hand out to grab your phone.

Jaehyun sees that you're nervous and chuckles to himself. “Oh..y/n..you’ve really made me upset. I guess I will just have to embrace my nature.”

He shuts the front door as you stare intently.

You always had a fear that the baby might be his, but how did he know you were pregnant in the first place?

————

[Two Days Later]

Jaehyun summons Lilith.

“And to what do I owe the pleasure?”

She appears to him with a slim body and dark hair this time. Her face is perfect like one of some celebrity, but God cursed Jaehyun’s vision so that when he looks at Lilith, he can only see an ugly monster. 

“I need you to take it.”

Jaehyun demands as sits on his throne in Hell. He tosses an apple in the air.

“Seduce the man and come back with the baby.”

“And what do I get out of it?” She places her hand on her hip.

“Nothing. But if you don’t do it, I will rip your fucking head off.” He looks up at her slowly. “Is that a good enough reason for you?”

Lilith scoffs then goes to do as she is told.

She appears to Kun who is half asleep on the couch in the living room. It’s his turn to watch the baby, so he can’t sleep completely.

“Hey there, big boy.” She says smoothly and crawls over him.

“Who—who are you?”

“My name’s Lilith.” She zips her leather jacket down to reveal her bare chest. “You look lonely, sweetheart.”

Kun is hypnotized by her, he doesn’t know if he’s awake or asleep, but he does know that he wants her badly. 

“Do you want to fuck me?” Lilith asks with doe eyes as she looks up at him and pumps her breasts.

Kun nods and soon finds himself enraptured by a succubus, burying himself into her and thus falling into her trap as you, his wife, lay sound asleep in the room above.

Once Lilith brings Kun to an extraordinary climax, he falls asleep.

She then walks upstairs slowly to the baby room.

Her appealing looks disappear and she transforms into her true being, a disturbingly ugly monster with grey skin and long legs and arms. Her bones crack as she grows to about 6 feet 6 inches tall, her black hair falls out onto the floor and her jaw protrudes as her eyes glow red. She smells like rotten eggs as green liquid oozes out of her pores and eyes.

She stares at the baby sleeping soundly in its crib.

You, however, wake up from the crackling sound.

“Kun?” You murmur.

You get up and walk to the baby room.

You nearly pass out from the stench and feel your legs grow weak when you see the ghastly being standing over your baby.

“Hey!” You call out, but when the thing turns around, it already has your baby in its arms. A wide creepy smile filled with about twenty sharp and misshapen teeth creeps across its face.

You start to cry. “Put him down!”

You run towards it but it disappears.

You grasp the crib and look into it, shifting the blankets around before looking under it.

Your baby was nowhere to be found.

You let out a painful scream that Jaehyun, and even your neighbors could hear and fell to the floor.

Kun finally woke up and ran upstairs. He consoled you as you cried uncontrollably.

———-

[One Month Later]

The police and everyone in the neighborhood helped you to search for your baby, but nothing happened. 

You tried to explain that night so many times, but nothing made sense and people just thought you were crazy.

Even Kun. He left you soon after the incident, the heartbreak was too much for him and he didn’t trust you. So he left you, moving further away and starting a new life without you as the divorce papers started to process.

You were alone, you couldn’t deal with the loss of your child. You sat alone at a pond and cried until you couldn’t cry anymore.

Jaehyun knew your time was running out, he knew you’d pass and eventually come to him to live with him in the dark world.

Your heart breaks and you die of sadness at the edge of the pond.

Your soul slips away from your body. 

Jaehyun is there watching as you stare down at it in confusion.

“Jaehyun?”

“Hello, y/n.”

“Where am I?”

“You’re with me now, where you should be.” He smiles as he goes to take your hand, but his hand passes through.

Jaehyun looks in confusion at his hand.

“Can you see me?” You ask.

“Of course I can. I should be able to touch you too, but..” he turns away and looks at his hand which is still vibrating like it had just been shocked with electricity.

“What’s happening?”

He turns back to you, but you’re gone.

“Oh, Lucifer..” a male voice calls out to him.

“You thought you had it all figured out, didn’t you? You would have her die then bring her to hell to live with you forever..”

“Winwin?” He recognizes the angel in front of him.

“I wish I could say it’s nice to see you again, but it really isn’t.”

“What the hell is going on? She’s mine!” He grows angry, his eyes becoming red and his horns growing out in harmony with his black wings.

“No, she isn’t. She belongs with us, remember God will always win.” Winwin smirks.

“No..no they can’t do this to me again!”

“Of course they can! Goodbye, LuLu!” Winwin then spins and disappears.

Jaehyun curses and shouts loudly, so loudly that the heavens can hear him. You can hear him, but now you realized who he really was and why he was so infatuated with you. It broke your heart that he went to such lengths to hold onto you, but now you knew that he was nothing but evil.

Jaehyun could feel you, he could sense you everywhere and sometimes he could see you, but he could never touch you again. He would have to live eternally as a tortured individual that lost his love 3 times.

“Well, at least you have the child.” Lilith looks at her nails as Jaehyun thrashes about in hell.

“What will you name him?”

Jaehyun smooths his hair back and walks to the crib that the baby sleeps in. “His name..is Cain.”

[madpanda75]

“Penance”

For @thatesqcrush’s kink bingo--I’ve been loving everyone’s contributions to the challenge so I thought I would try my hand at it!

Jonas Nightingale x Reader for the Gags square ( my first Jonas fic! Warning-- I’ve never seen “Leap of Faith so please be kind)

Double Warning: This is SUPER NSFW. There’s BDSM, ball gags, fisting, squirting, forced orgasms, and a pinch of priest kink (even though Jonas is a “reverend” not a priest)

Hold on to your butts and get your splash guards out!

Sam Nightingale sat cross-legged in front of the pulpit. A frigid blast slapped her in the face and she silently praised whoever invented air conditioning. Rather than pitching a tent and sweating her ass off in an abandoned field out in east Jesus nowhere, the local pastor had insisted that she and Jonas use his church for their revival.

With a glint in her eye, she gazed down at her lap overflowing with dollar bills. Ten. Twenties. Fifties. Even a few hundreds from the wealthier church patrons. Every dollar counted, she could hear a cash register cha-ching in her brain. Ah, the simple-minded naivety of the Midwest. It was like taking candy from a baby. “Damn, Jonas.” She shook her head in amazement. “We made bank today. Who knew Nebraskeners were so generous? I swear you wave around a Bible and the promise of redemption in front of folks and the money flows.” 

Her comments were greeted with silence. “Jonas?” She glanced up to see her brother lying on the front pew, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought. “Hello? Earth to Jonas!” She grabbed her pack of menthols and chucked them at her brother, gaining his attention.

“Huh? Ya’ say something?” 

“Uhhh, yeah.” Sam made a show of flipping through a large wad of cash. “Here I am drowning in Benjamins and you’re out in la la land. What’s with you today?”

Jonas shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Nothing? You sure about that?” She walked over and knocked his feet off the pew, plopping down right next to him. “Cause you were distracted during the church service. I had to basically feed you your lines through the microphone. Please tell me you haven’t found your moral compass or something.”

He snorted a laugh. “Hell would freeze over before that happens.” Coming back to his senses, he spotted the sea of green nestled in his sister’s lap and whistled. “All that came from today?”

“Yep.”

“We should add an afternoon service if we stick around here. We’ll make twice as much.”

A dramatic sigh of relief below past Sam’s lips. “There’s the swindler I know and love. You had me worried there for a moment.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Jonas grabbed the cash and began counting the bills when the door opened. “The Senior Bingo is being held around the corner in the rec room,” he said over his shoulder.

“Actually I’m looking for you,” a soft sultry voice called out. A voice that made Jonas whip his head around.

“It’s you,” he whispered and shot straight up out of the pew, the dollar bills in his lap now floating to the floor like confetti. 

Sam immediately began to pick up the stray money while Jonas stood there, staring at you. You were wearing a demure, white cotton sundress that screamed virgin, but the ruby red shade of your lipstick purred vixen. His sister was right, he had been distracted and now that distraction was standing in the middle of the aisle. He could feel his pants begin to bulge at the mere sight of you biting your bottom lip.

 “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” you said with an apologetic smile.

“Oh don’t worry about it.” Sam stood up and patted her brother on the back, noticing the way his demeanor changed the minute you walked through the door. “This guy has been out of it all day. Although I think I’m beginning to realize why.” 

Jonas glared at his sister before turning back to you. “How can I help you?”

You fidgeted a bit, wringing the leather strap of your purse. “Actually, I was hoping we could speak in private, Reverend.” 

“I’m gonna go check on that bingo. See if they have someone to call the numbers,” Sam said after an awkward pause. She gave Jonas a sly wink before walking out the door.

“Please have a seat.” Jonas ushered you to a pew. His heart was racing and sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead. There was something about you that made him nervous. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but whatever it was, you disarmed him completely. 

He took a deep breath and tried to recover. After all he was the King of Sin. If he could con people out of money under the guise of salvation, he could certainly handle talking to a beautiful woman.

 “I’m glad you came in today,” he said.

“You are?”

Jonas nodded his head and took a seat next to you. “I noticed you during the service. I could sense that something was weighing heavily on your soul.”

You looked down for a moment, hesitant to speak before finally confessing. “There is.” 

“Don’t be bashful.” He reached out and patted your knee in reassurance, his thumb gliding across your skin. “You can trust me. I help all those who are lost and right now you look like a little lamb that has strayed from the flock.”

“I...I... struggle with the sin of lust,” you replied in a voice barely above a whisper. Your cheeks turned bright red, nearly matching the shade of lipstick you were wearing.

Jonas felt his interest peak. “Go on,” he encouraged.

“I have certain...proclivities. I’ve tried to quell these dark desires, but I need help. My need is constant.” You let out a shaky breath, your eyes fluttering shut.

Little did you know, you were an answer to Jonas’ prayers (if in fact he ever did pray). It had been ages since he had gotten laid and you were just his type. It was as if the heavens opened and a choir of angels were singing ‘Hallelujah.’ He cleared his throat. “I think I can be of service.” 

“Thank you!” Relief washed over your face before you became serious. “But I have to warn you others have tried and failed.” You leaned forward, your knees now touching his. He could smell the seductive notes of your perfume: lotus blossom and black orchid. “Do you think you are up to the challenge?” you practically purred.

Jonas licked his lips and let his eyes drink you in from head to toe. He felt smugly satisfied noticing your heaving chest, the way your nipples hardened against the fabric of your dress. “Sure, I’ll guide you on my cock,” he thought. 

But rather than make this blunt point and risk you running out of the church, disgusted. He gently cupped your face and stared into your eyes with a deep sincerity. “I can assure you, I won’t stop until we tame the fire that burns deep within you. I am relentless in my dedication to saving souls.” 

What happened next sent shockwaves down the wily con artist’s spine. Parting your lips, you took his thumb into your mouth, sucking and gliding your tongue against the digit. Jonas gasped, feeling you bite down on the meaty flesh before pulling off with a pop. 

You tucked your purse under your arm and stood up, smoothing down your dress. “Thank you, Reverend. I’ll be in touch.” You went to the door before pausing and looking over your shoulder. “By the way, I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you.”  With an innocent smile, you left Jonas sitting there, completely stunned. 

*****

The old secretary glanced up as soon as you walked into the church office. “The Reverend will be with you in a moment. Why don’t you take a seat.” She motioned towards a chair. 

“Thank you.” You sat down and crossed your legs, admiring your new black Louboutin heels. 

The sound of an old fire and brimstone preacher played from a radio on the secretary’s desk. “Fornication is not just a sin against another person. It is a sin against ourselves. It is self destructive and we must avoid it at all costs!”

You arched a brow at the secretary, who gave you a tight smile and turned down the volume. You couldn’t help but bite back a laugh. The irony of the sermon was not lost on you.

It had been three weeks since you met Jonas. You were in town for a few months visiting your grandmother and she insisted on dragging your butt out of bed to the sunrise Sunday service at her church. Luckily for you, instead of the regular reverend (who was as old as Methuselah), there was a handsome, charismatic guest preacher in his place. Having never been an avid church-goer before, you were quite taken with the eye candy professing salvation for all sinners from the pulpit. 

After the service, you dropped off your grandmother at her bingo game and decided to have a little fun by giving into your more baser instincts. How else were you supposed to entertain yourself in a dusty dried up old town? You knew how to play the game. With your chaste couture and coquettish ways, you caught Jonas Nightingale--hook, line, and sinker.

Just then Jonas walked into the office, freezing in his tracks the second he laid eyes on you. “Ms. Y/L/N.” He took off his aviator shades and smirked. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“I know we had a session yesterday, but I think I need more spiritual guidance.” You ran a delicate hand down the slope of your neck and gave him a shy smile.

Jonas ran his tongue across his teeth, a low growl emanating from his chest. “Of course, please step into my office.” You stood up and followed him. Before shutting the door, Jonas turned towards the secretary. “Why don’t you get out of here and take a long lunch.”

“Are you sure?” the secretary asked, leaning over the desk to try and peek into his office.

“Absolutely. It’s been a slow day. Go out. Live a little.” Jonas sighed in relief, watching as she grabbed her purse and needlepoint. She was on loan to him from the church. The woman was your typical nosy, uptight old bat with a stick up her ass, but she made great coffee and would bring in freshly baked cookies every week.

As soon as the secretary left, he stepped into his office and locked the door. “I thought you were supposed to come by tonight. Just couldn’t wait, could ya?” he teased and removed his shirt, leaving him in a black tank top. 

You bit your bottom lip, staring at his muscular arms. “I had to come here.”

“Oh you did?” 

You blushed and fidgeted with your coat. “You see, I was very, very naughty. I was thinking about you all morning and I had to touch myself. I sinned, Reverend and you told me that those who disobey God’s laws must do penance.” You made a show of unbuttoning your coat and letting it fall to the floor, revealing that you were completely naked.

Jonas stalked up to you, looking like the big bad wolf. He walked in a slow circle around you, inspecting every inch of your flesh before stopping right behind you and grabbing your hips, pulling you flush to him. His lips brushed over your pulse point and all too soon he walked away.

With the crook of his finger, he beckoned you over to the chair in front of his desk. You obliged his silent request and sat down. Sinking to his knees before you, he planted a brutal, bruising kiss on your lips, thrusting his tongue into your mouth. He pulled away and went over to his desk. “You remember the safe word?” he asked, opening a drawer.

“Bakker,” you replied. 

Jonas chuckled. When you two began these escapades, you picked “Bakker” for your safe word. The last name of the infamous Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, two TV televangelists who were found guilty of fraud in the 80s. It was your subtle way of telling Jonas that you saw right through him and didn’t believe his act for a second. As long as your grandmother didn’t give him any money, his secret was safe with you. Besides, Jonas was just as much a freak as you were and he was the best sex you ever had.

Reaching into the drawer, he pulled out several items, one of them being a blindfold. “You know, I can’t promise that I’ll be gentle,” he purred as he covered your eyes.

A smile tugged at your lips. “You should know by now that I don’t want you to be gentle. Don’t hold back.”

“Challenge accepted,” Jonas thought as he grabbed some nylon ropes. He grabbed your arms and began to tie them behind the chair.

Your pulse quickened in anticipation. “Tighter,” you demanded in a breathy moan.

He yanked the ropes taut making you gasp. “Let me be the judge of that,” he growled, biting your earlobe. He spread your legs, tying each one to the leg of the chair. Your pussy glistened as you were already wet from masturbating all morning. The scent of your arousal filled his nostrils and made his cock twitch.

Tied and blindfolded, you thought Jonas would get down to business, but he had a few more surprises up his sleeves. He took out a white ball gag with a leather strap and some honey. After squirting some honey onto the ball gag, he cupped your chin and forced your mouth open. “Don’t you dare spit this out,” he threatened, fastening the leather strap behind your head.

You felt the ball wedge between your teeth. The sweet hit of the honey coating your tongue. Jonas has done his research. He knew that the combination of the honey and the ball gag would make you drool, giving you that hint of humiliation you craved. 

He sat back on his haunches and admired his work: the knots of nylon binding you to the chair, the way your lips wrapped around the ball gag, the rise and fall of your flushed chest. You were a work of art. Michelangelo had the Sistine Chapel and Jonas had you.

He knelt down and kissed the top of your right foot before slowly dragging his tongue up your leg, nibbling on your inner thighs and then trailing down your left leg, planting a final kiss on your left foot. 

He parted your swollen pussy lips and licked your pink, quivering flesh, reveling in the way you whimpered and squirmed. When he wrapped his mouth around your clit, you jerked forward only to remember that you were restrained. He alternated between fucking you with his tongue and lapping at your clit. Being blindfolded only heightened your senses and right now it felt like Jonas was eating you out as if you were an all you can eat pancake breakfast.

You threw your head back and moaned, trying to arch your hips to give him even more access to your core. He reached his hands up and began to massage your breasts, pinching your nipples until they swelled and ached in pleasure. Your thighs began to shake and Jonas knew you were close. One final tweak of your taut nipple and your orgasm rippled through you. 

Jonas groaned and nodded his head vigorously, flicking against your nub as you rode out your ecstasy. “Jonas!” you wailed in a muffled tone, although the ball gag was preventing you from speaking much. 

He hummed in contentment and smacked his lips together, tracing your entrance with a single digit. You squeaked in surprise.“Shhh,” he cooed. “Calm down, my angel. We’ve barely begun. How many fingers do you think you can take? One?”

You shook your head no.

“Two?”

You shook your head again. Jonas arched a brow, even though you couldn’t see him. He knew what you wanted. When he got up to five. You nodded. 

“So fucking greedy.” He spread you even wider. “You think you can take it?”

You nodded once more and undulated your hips. He began to finger fuck you, starting with his index finger, thrusting into you hard and fast while pressing on your clit until you howled. The second finger, he scissored you, slowly stretching you out, stroking your walls, studying the way you whimpered and wailed. He slowly added a third digit, finding that secret spot within you that so few men ever find. 

The buildup was unbearable as your hips stuttered forward, coming once more. Even though you were soaking wet, Jonas squirted lube onto his fourth finger firmly believing in the philosophy of, “the wetter, the better.” He slowly moved in and out of you, swiping against your clit. 

With each digit he added, you came harder and harder. Tears slid down your face from underneath your blindfold. Your muscles began to spasm, your nerve endings tingled. Jonas cruelly laughed. “Look at you, creaming on my fingers like a little slut.” 

You wailed out another orgasm in response. How long had you been sitting there? Hours? Your body experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. Every time you came, you loathed it. You craved it. You wanted him to stop. No, don’t stop! Don’t ever, ever, ever stop! You wanted more and more and more and that’s exactly what Jonas gave you.

After adding even more lube, he tucked his thumb into his palm, tapering his fingers and slowly penetrating you, pushing past the knuckles until his entire hand was deep inside you. Jonas had never fisted anyone before, but you had untapped desires within him that he had no idea even existed.

He began to rock his large hand back and forth. You sobbed in pleasure. You were stretched and filled to the brim, feeling tremendous pressure. You couldn’t catch your breath. Being tied, blindfolded, and gagged, all you could do was take it. While fisting you, Jonas leaned forward and began sucking on your clit. 

Your muffled moans of “Oh fuck! Oh yes! Yes! Yes!” filled the room as he unleashed his torture on your slick, hot cunt. He crooked and wiggled his fingers, massaging your G-spot. You screamed in ecstasy. Your orgasm was earth shattering. You felt a gush of liquid and squirted all over Jonas’ face.

“That’s it, my sweet angel. Squirt for me,” he groaned, almost coming in his pants at the sensation of your sweet nectar all over his face, a puddle amassing beneath your chair.

Jonas slowly took his hand out, one finger at a time. He reached up and cupped your face, you could feel your arousal from his one hand, coating your cheek. “You’re not done yet. I want one more from you,” he commanded as he began to unbound you.

You meekly nodded your head. He gave you an open mouth kiss over your ball gag and gently lifted you up so he could sit down. You were still blindfolded. The sound of a zipper and rustling of his denim, alerted you that he had taken out his cock.

You rocked against his length, his crown rubbing against your overly sensitive clit. Moving at a snail’s pace, you sank down onto his cock. Jonas’ fingers may have been long and thick, but nothing could replace being filled by his cock. After your initial meeting, you quickly understand why the man exuded a prowess on the church stage, swinging his big dick energy at anyone with a pulse. 

Jonas let out a strangled moan and grabbed your hips, encouraging you to fuck him.

You bounced up and down on his cock. He had given you so much pleasure and now you wanted to return the favor. You contracted your muscles, squeezing around him. Drool dribbled down your chin and onto your breasts from the combination of the honey and the ball gag. He lowered his head to lap it up and suck your nipples.

Smothered by your chest, he growled and gripped your hips, thrusting up into you. Your head lolled back. You loved this, being used as a sex toy. Your whole body screamed. Take me! Devour me! I’m yours! 

The wooden chair creaked and was on the verge of breaking, but neither of you cared. “Fuck! Jesus! Jonas!” you mumbled, climaxing one final time, your vision fading to black while riding out your orgasm. Pain and pleasure melding together.

Jonas’ hips began to stutter. “Oh Y/N!” he moaned. “I’m coming! I’m coming!” He grunted like an animal, pulsing inside you, filling you with his cum. His body tensed, coming so much that it seeped out of you and pooled around the base of his cock, creating a mess. Not that either of you noticed, you were both already plastered in sticky sweat

You went limp and melted against him, snuggling into the crook of his neck, mewling like a kitten. Once Jonas caught his breath, he pulled you away to take off the gag and blindfold. Gazing up at you with the sunlight illuminating your face, that feeling of disarmament overpowered him once more. He was completely at your mercy, bared to you. There was no escaping your trance. 

This was meant to be your penance. Your punishment. But instead, it was Jonas that choked out one final word, “Amen.”

Tag List:

@glimmerglittergirl @southern-magnolia @sweetcannolicarisi​ @delia26 @obfuscateyummy @sass-and-suspenders @eclecticminded @thatesqcrush @katmstanton @amirightcounsellor @beltzboys2015-blog @letty-o @sonnysdoll @lyssa1385 @sweetsummertime99 @burningsorr0ws @gibbs274 @izzythefanfreak @babypink224221 @livxrafa @esparza-army @obsessionprofessional @ottosuricato @mgarner1227 @dreila03  @tropes-and-tales @thecraziestcrayon @goodluckfindingone @scarletsoldierrr @youreverycolor @yeah-boiiiiiiiiiii @imagine-all-the-imagines @imjustreallynosy @graniairish @ashley-chi @lolacolaempath @cocomel0613 @imagine-all-the-imagines @mysterioustrashadventures @that-girl-named-alex @scapricciatello @mrsrafaelbarba @zizzlekwum @katierpblogg @crowleysqueenofhell @caked-crusader @garturbo @rachelxwayne @sarcastically-defensive17

[eeveedel]

Snippet Sunday

Felt like posting a late evening snippet from my current new baby, my ABO cult fic 🥰trigger warning for religious content/cult stuff/ethically dubious sexual behavior 

-

Harry was laying, stark naked, on a bed he had never laid in before, his hands and ankles tied down, surrounded by a circle of people he had never met.

He blinked up at the ceiling, drumming his fingers on the sheets, waiting quietly. He could feel the stares of the people around him; all omegas, all dressed in ceremonial purple robes, all several decades older than him. When they had entered into the room, single file, they had been briefly introduced to him as The Council, the oldest and most powerful people in the community who would be overseeing the night’s events. And at the very end of the bed was Louis, in a pale lavender robe and with little white flowers clipped throughout his hair, and his family pastor standing in front of him. 

“Louis,” the pastor said. “Are you ready to begin?”

Louis looked away from Harry on the bed and instead focused his gaze on the woman in front of him, although his giddy smile did not fade.

“Yes, Pastor M, I’m ready.”

The pastor simply nodded and cracked open the worn-looking bible, holding the edges delicately, even though she never looked down to read, instead looking right at Louis as she spoke from memory.

“In the beginning, God made Adam, the first alpha. But it was the Lord’s first attempt, and the alpha was imperfect. He was quick to anger, and motivated only by his own selfish needs. He was barbaric and misshapen, and the Lord regretted His creation, but He did not have the strength to destroy him. So God took what he had learned and he created Eve, the first omega. He had learned from all his mistakes and Eve was perfect, intelligent and kind hearted and beautiful. And the Lord told her it was her duty to watch over Adam, to control his wild impulses so he could truly be worthy of the Lord’s love.

“And for days and days, this is how it went, with the omega watching over the alpha, and they were happy. But then the Devil came to Adam and whispered in his ear that he should be the powerful one, that God had made him with great strength the omega did not possess. And so with the Devil’s words in his mind Adam sought out Eve, and chased her with a wild, untamed look in his eyes, until he found her, and overtook her. So was the first sin against God, the disruption of the order of the things in the overtaking of the omega.

“When the Lord discovered this He cast alpha and omega out of paradise. To lessen the turmoil He had created, God shaped the betas, neither cursed nor perfect, but exceptionally ordinary in order to keep balance upon the Earth. For Adam’s crimes, he was given a cycle of madness and extreme strength, and for Eve’s failure to keep her alpha controlled, she was given a cycle of forced submission that would forever tie her and her descendants to the loathsome alphas. But in the cycles there was hope for the creation of life, and for the generations to come. And so it is with God’s first sins and mistakes in mind that we work to fulfill our true purpose, for the omega to step into the divine and perfect role they were born into, and for the alpha to kneel at their side, in wait and in hope that one day they too will receive the rights to God’s paradise.”

The pastor reached out, touching Louis’s forehead.

“Today, you, Louis, take up your position in God’s plan. You take up your position of perfection as an omega of God’s kingdom, to rule your household with a tender and just fist, and to guide your alpha towards the path for God’s salvation in forgiveness for his sins, and the sins of his ancestors. May the Lord bless you and keep you, omega. Amen.”

Louis opened his eyes, blinking and smiling dreamily. The pastor returned his smile, giving him a soft nod.

“You may undress, Louis, and join your alpha.”

- 

Tagging some of my faves, my mom @jaerie, @falsegoodnight, @sadaveniren, @mercurial-madhouse, @tomlinvelvetfics

[narrysgolden]

I can’t for the life of me find if I posted chapter 1 on this blog but it’s on my second blog so excuse. Here finally after like more than a year I have chapter 2 of the amnesia fic! Apologies that it’s short (I wrote most of it a year ago) and I know nothing about the medical field. P.s. I’m not a writer so sorry if my grammar sucks 😂

Over Again - Chapter 2

Chapter 1

HARRY

Beep………..beep…………beep………

As a fluttered my eyes open to a distant beeping, I gasped in instant panic only to realize I had tubes assisting my breathing and wires tangled up all across me. My heart rate rose dramatically and I failed at trying to sit up and look around. Everything hurt. Everything was in a daze. My hearing was muffled and vision was blurry, although I could make out two familiar figures to my left.

“Mr Styles”, the voice rang through my head. “You were in a car accident. You’ve been in the ICU at St Thomas’ since last night.”

It all felt like a dream, or really a nightmare. The harsh fluorescent lighting, the overlaying sounds of machines and faint chaos in the background. The unfamiliar man who just spoke words of disbelief. The women on the right who I could finally make out were my Mum and Gemma. I attempted to call out for them, but nothing came out. I couldn’t speak. Was I really dying? Is this my crossover into the unknown? The light just seemed to get brighter and my disorientation was strong.

Suddenly, I seemed to snap out of it, and all I could think about was one thing.

“Where’s Niall?” I finally managed to croak out of my desert dry throat.

The look on everyone’s face was a mix of relief, confusion, and worry as they all turned to look towards the corner of the room. A vaguely familiar boy stepped out from the shadows timidly. I couldn’t put my finger on it but something was just different about him. His face? His hair? His arms? Chest?

“Baby…” I spoke softly with a slight question in tone.

All of a sudden Niall’s face dropped. He turned white as a ghost, stopped in his tracks, and bolted for the door. Okay this was definitely a dream. Why was Niall acting so weird? Why did he look so off? I looked around best I could, studied this foreign body that was seemingly mine, all stitched, strapped, and wired up. My left leg was in a cast, slung up so it hung above the bed a little. My chest was wrapped up tightly, feeling like it was contributing to my loss of breath. And I could feel gauze shifting along my forehead as I moved my eyes around the room.

The room started spinning as my heartrate picked up again, feeling uneasy and only wanting Niall to come hold my hand and tell me everything will be okay.

“I feel sick” I mumbled, closing my eyes and leaning back into the stiff hospital pillow.

“Go check on Niall, I’ll watch over him.” I heard my Mum say to Gemma.

NIALL

I sped down the hospital corridor until I reached a dead end emergency exit, threw myself against the wall, and sunk to the floor. Curling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around tightly, I took in one deep breath after another in an attempt to stop hyperventilating.

It was all too much. Just seeing Harry for the first time in years was enough, the fact that he could’ve been on his deathbed was another thing, but for him to say those words, as if nothing had ever happened between them, was on another level of cruel. I was finally moved on with my life, happy for once, so I thought.

I lifted my head just enough to noticed Gemma coming down the hall in a rush to see if I was alright. “Oh Niall, come here”, she said, kneeling down to put her arms around me comfortingly. “Are you alright? You gave us all a right scare in there.”

“Did you not hear him Gem? What does he think he’s doing? Asking for me immediately, calling me…..that….. He’s insane!”

“Niall, honey, he was just in a major accident, head trauma and all that. It’s not too far off for him to be missing you in a situation like this.” She spoke softly, trying to reassure me it meant nothing, but we both knew that wasn’t the case.

“Do you think….” My voice trailed off as the worst possible scenario….was it really the worst? Potentially, yeah, the worst possible scenario flooded through my mind. Was Harry experiencing some sort of amnesia and thinking that we were still together? There’s no way…

I could see Gemma was reading my face and beginning to pick up on my theory. “The doctor did say temporary amnesia was common is head trauma patients.”

After another 15 minutes of sitting in the cold dim hallway in contemplation, Anne poked her head out the doorframe and motioned for us to make our way back to the room. Gemma turned to look at me with an unspoken “are you gonna be okay?”. I nodded softly and pushed myself up off the floor as if I was using the last bit of energy I had saved up. We made our way back to the room to find Harry was drifting off to sleep.

The doctor pulled all three of us aside and brought his voice down low to make sure Harry couldn’t hear. Anne and the doctor lookd back and forth at each other as if they were reading each others minds before looking back to me and Gemma.

“So, Harry believes that it is 2015. Signaling to use that he is experiencing amnesia with this head trauma of his. Now, because this is a full 3 year gap in memory, we don’t take this lightly. With amnesia patients we have to take things slowly in order to not overwhelm them and confuse them more. We don’t want any more stress on the boy than he already has. For the time being, go along with what he thinks, what he has to say, to an extent of course. We must bring him around slowly when he is in a stable place of healing.”

Yep I was right. 2015. Harry thinks we are still together. Harry thinks that One Direction is still together…. Oh God, his hair. MY hair. Does he even know he lives part time in LA now? And all his new tattoos. I don’t even know what he’s got inked all over his body anymore.

Not even seconds after the doctor finished speaking, a tall blonde woman ran into the room yelling “Where is he? Is he okay?”

Camille. Shit.

Anne grabbed her immediately and spun her around back out of the room, hopefully explaining in detail about Harry’s condition and how he probably doesn’t know who she is. Yikes. Thank god Harry was asleep when she barged in.

As Anne was taking care of the girlfriend situation, I turned back to Harry. He seemed so small in that hospital bed. Almost unrecognizable with the mounds of gauze, tangles of wires, and rough red patches all over his bruised skin. I got tunnel vision again, only being able to lock my eyes on him, sleeping not so soundly in the sterile room.

I walked over to him quietly, trying not to disturb him too much. Sitting down in the chair next to the bed, I studied his features, ones that seemed to be unfamiliar to me. His curly brown locks, now short and matted down underneath his bandage, still looked soft and as beautiful as I remembered. He was now growing facial hair, something I hadn’t pictured Harry with before, although it suited the chiseled features of his face better than expected. I noticed some scribbled ink on his unbandaged knee, but was unable to make out the word.

Harry started to make mumbled sounds in his sleep, his arm twitching and body moving as if he were stuck in a nightmare. Without thinking, my instincts reached my hand out to touch his, noticing black chipped polish adorning his delicate fingernails. I rubbed circles on the back of his hand with my thumb in an attempt to soothe his terrified mind.

“Harry” I spoke softly. He was still tossing and turning, strain seen on his face, getting antsier by the second. I needed to get him out of his own head. My heart raced with every moment that went by, more concerned than I was before. I grabbed his shoulder carefully, speaking to him more directly now. “Harry. Harry, look at me.”

His eyes darted open with a gasp, tears stinging his under eyes as he looked at me with so much pain on his face.

“It’s okay, I’m here.”

HARRY

I didn’t know what was happening, but I knew I was crying. And to open my eyes and see Niall inches in front of me, calloused hand on my shoulder, telling me it’s going to be alright, had me crying that much more. All I wanted was to give him the biggest hug of my life, but I couldn’t move, not enough.

He could tell that I was freaking out and continued to console me until my breathing regulated, my eyes dried up, and a smile actually crept on my face.

It was almost 4pm now. My Mum had disappeared at one point, Gemma saying she had to run home for a bit. Gemma did the same about an hour ago, so it was just Niall and I now. Niall sat to my left, scrolling through his phone, looking frustrated at messages he was receiving, hoping they would stop.

“Everything alright babe?” I asked. His face scrunched up as if in pain and he took a deep breath before looking up to me. “Yeah, fine.”

I laid my head back on the bed, thoughts spinning through my head, still trying to wrap my head around this accident I had no memory of. I looked down to where the IV was placed delicately in the crook of my arm, surrounded by familiar ink. The heart on my bicep, the holy bible on my forearm, the dainty A, and....what does that say....latelate? Why don’t I remember that being there? When did I get that?

I tried to reach over with my right hand to graze across the unfamiliar ink, but couldn’t reach from being practically tied to the bed with so many wires.

Niall noticed my struggle. “What’s up?” He looked to me quizzically.

“.....Late Late?” I whispered out. I could tell he could see the confusion on my face. And with my response, equal confusion appeared on Niall’s.

It took him a second to form his thoughts before busting out a laugh that seemed a little off. “You don’t remember that bet you lost with James? Serves you right you were piss drunk.”

That still didn’t really make sense to me. Even being blackout drunk, surely I would’ve remembered someone telling me the story the next day. But I didn’t have the brain power to question it any further. “Oh, ha, yeah right” I half heartedly chuckled before closing my eyes and sighing.

With every ounce of me wanting nothing more than for this all to be over and get back to my life, my life is all I could think about. Oh god the band. Do they know about my accident? I should call them, no, I’m sure Niall did. FUCK we have so much promo to do. We JUST released drag me down. Who knows when the hell I’m even getting out of this hospital room. And tour....shit. I know we talked about not having a tour this time but....now that’s really not happening. The absolute stress this is going to put on everyone....

I must’ve looked distressed as I feel Niall’s warm hand reach over to my shoulder, rubbing in soothing circles. “Hey” he spoke softly, “we’ll figure it all out”. Niall could always read my mind. No matter what it was, we were on the same wavelength. I cracked open my eyes again to see the blon...brunette? boy staring up at me, another thing my damaged brain couldn’t wrap my head around.

I reached my still constrained arm up to grab the dark locks. Niall instinctively leaned in to close the distance. My cool, stiff fingers fell into the chocolate locks that felt soft and clean, not dry and broken like it used to. “Your hair...” I whispered.

Niall pulled my hand down, kissed it softly and shook his head with chuckle. “Go back to sleep, Harry.”

[vampwrrrmistresslist]

Sweet Lies 5

(A/N:  This is not how dual citizenship between the US and South Korea works.  Suspend your disbelief, dear Reader.  Also, this is chapter 5 of an in progress fic, the links for which can be found on my mistresslist.)

Baekhyun’s eyes shone when he picked you up, looking appreciatively up and down your tempting figure.  You were wearing a loose ice blue silk button down blouse, tucked into a figure-hugging, high-waisted, charcoal-and-ice-pinstripe pencil skirt that hit you just below the knee.  Your thick, wavy hair was gathered over one shoulder, leaving the side of your neck bare to his gaze.  You were grateful that you had taken the time to go thriftwhoring that morning, and were in clothes that made you feel more like the “you” you had been before you had  given up.  Charcoal stilettos that you hadn’t worn since university completed the look, but still put you an inch below him.  

The small of your back was warmed by the delicate pressure of Baekhyun’s hand as he gently led you through the doors of the Mercier Fine Art Museum, where they were having an exhibit on The Modern Reclamation of the Power of Women topos, with paintings on loan from around the world.  You wriggled playfully in excitement, beaming up at him when he looked down questioningly.

“I love museums,” you whispered confidentially, causing him to chuckle indulgently.  “I haven’t been to one since I graduated.  I’m so excited!”

He nodded, his eyes scanning the room before coming to rest on your face.  “You really are a nerd, aren’t you?”

You went to punch him on the shoulder, but stopped yourself just in time, and let your hand fall back to your side.  “Says the man who attended Vanderbilt and Cornell.”

“So, we’re both nerds,” he said comfortably, his thumb gently stroking the base of your spine.  “Which exhibit would you like to see first?”

“The Klimt.”

He guided you through the doorway on your right, into the Klimt exhibit. You gasped softly to yourself as you both came to stand in front of Klimt’s The Kiss. “Oh!  It’s lovely…”

Baekhyun spared the painting a glance, turning slightly to look at you while you looked up at the work in wonder.  “Indeed,” he said quietly, his eyes tracing the delicate lines of your profile.

You continued to look at the painting, eyes moving back and forth as you tried to commit every inch to memory.  “Klimt is one of my favourite artists.”

He nodded.  “I prefer modern art, but I can acknowledge the appeal.”

You wrinkled your nose, glancing at him briefly, before turning your eyes back to the painting in front of you.  “Modern art is so cold.  So calculating.  For the most part, anyway.”

“Not cold.  Clean.  Neat.”

“Well, you may just have to teach me to appreciate it.  I can’t say that I do right now.”

He smiled, looking thoughtful. “That would be a pleasure.  There are a lot of things that I would love to teach you.”

You grinned cheekily.  “How do you know that I don’t know them already?”

He grinned mischievously.  Reworking his query from the previous day, “So, you know everything I know?”

You tsked and pouted.  “What if there are things that I want to teach you?”

He laughed loudly, then looked chastened when the security guard gave him a glare. “I learn well,” he stage-whispered, as he led you away from The Kiss.

You smiled up at him, allowing the soft press of his hand to guide you to Klimt’s next work, Danae.  You bit your lip to hold back a squeal.  “It’s gorgeous!”

He tilted his head, considering.  “I think that I can appreciate this one a bit more.”

You looked up at him as he studied the painting.  “What do you like about this one?”

He shook his head.  “I’m not an art critic.  I don’t really analyze it.  I just…like what I like.  If it strikes me as pretty, I like it.  I don’t think about why.”

You nodded, looking back at the painting.  “I can verbalize why I like it, but I agree with you.  It all boils down to, I like it, because I like it.  That’s enough. Taking it apart is just justification after the fact.”

“Well, now I’m curious.  Why do you like it?”

“Mmm, first of all I love the juxtaposition, which you also find in The Kiss, of comfort and discomfort.  Look at how she’s positioned.  It looks unnatural, and cramped, but look at her face; it’s blissful.  I also love the way he creates texture in his paintings.  Look at the veil. Doesn’t it look real, like you could reach out and pull it from the painting?  Another thing that I find fascinating about most of his work is the contrast of styles, within the same paintings.  For example, her hair looks like a painting, but the veil looks real.  The Kiss almost looks as if he painted the figures, and then put fabric, and gold overlay over them.  Something about that contrast just pulls at something inside of me.  I don’t know; I’m weird.  I’m probably not making sense.”

“No, I understand.  We’re drawn to opposites. Sweet and sour, light and dark, pain and pleasure.  It’s not weird at all.  I’m afraid that I think you’re quite normal, pet.”

“Give me time.”

You tried to hold in your excitement as you moved to the next painting, but a little bounce escaped, causing him to bite his lip to hold back another burst of laughter.  You groaned.  “Oh, now this…this is my favourite one,” you said, your hands reaching out to clutch air, as you make cute little grasping motions.  You both looked up at Judith and the Head of Holofernes.  “Do you know the story behind the painting?”

Baekhyun smiled ruefully.  “Not really.”

You smiled up at him.  “Well, it’s part of the Apocrypha, which are the books that didn’t make it into the Bible, due to their being of doubtful origin.  Anyway, in the story, there’s this widow, Judith, who gains the trust of Holofernes, an enemy Assyrian general, by promising to give him information on the Israelites’ plans for battle.  So one night, she goes to his tent, finds him dead drunk…and decapitates him.”  Here, you smiled again, looking back at the painting.  Almost reverently, you whisper, “She takes his head back to her camp, and the Assyrians, without their leader, flee in defeat.”

Baekhyun’s eyes roved over your rapt face, lit with a beatific smile as you recounted the dark tale.  He smiled affectionately at you as your eyes took in the graceful lines of the painting.  “You’re…kind of bloodthirsty, aren’t you?”

Your smile changed to an introspective one.  You sighed, glanced back at him, and then slowly began to walk to the next exhibit.  “Only to the deserving.”

He followed you, his eyes lazily trailing from your ankles all the way up to the crown of your head.  He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Just my style.”

You both wandered through the rest of the Klimt exhibit before making your way over to the Caravaggio display.  You gasped and hurried over to Caravaggio’s Judith Beheading Holofernes.  “They have multiple versions of this in the exhibition?!  Oh…” Sucking in a breath, you looked up in satisfaction at the image, biting your lip as your eyes took in the rich reds, and elegant chiascuro of the work.

Baekhyun came to stand behind you, replacing his hand on the small of your back, which you barely noticed, so enrapt were you with the painting.  He looked up at the far more graphic representation of the tale.  After a pause, “Should I be worried?”

“Are you currently planning to wage war against the Israelites?”

“It’s not on my to-do list.”

“Then you may keep your head.”

“Thank you.”

“I am beneficent in all my ways.”  You paused, and then gestured to the painting.  “Just look at that red.  That is my favourite colour.”  You suddenly shivered, the thin silk of your shirt doing nothing to insulate you against the glacial temperatures of the museum.  Baekhyun looked at you in concern.

“Are you cold?”

“Of course not,” you bluffed.

He glanced down to see goosebumps sweeping across your skin, see the way you unconsciously hugged your arms around your waist in an unsuccessful effort to warm yourself.  “Here,” he said, taking off his suit jacket and draping it over your shoulders.

“Really, I’m fine—“ you started, but then involuntarily closed your eyes, sighing in appreciation of the left over body heat from his jacket.

He raised an eyebrow.  “Fine?”

You settled gratefully into the warm jacket.  “Perhaps, I…was a bit…chilled.  Thank you.  Aren’t you going to be cold, though?”

“Well, I’m still wearing an undershirt, a shirt, and a vest, so I’m fine.”  He looked down at you, looking up at him, your doe-like eyes blinking at him over the collar of the jacket as you burrowed into it, up to your nose.  “You are so cute!”

You blushed, and looked down shyly.  You started to thank him when you glanced into the next room, and something that caught your eye.  You sucked in an incredulous breath.  “They have Gentileschi?!”

Anticipating your next move, he gently guided you out of the Caravaggio exhibit into the Gentileschi room, where you stood between Judith Slaying Holofernes and Jael and Sisera one hand to your mouth, eyes hungrily looking back and forth between the paintings, as if unable to choose which to consume first.  You decided to start with the Judith.

“Which version do you prefer?”

You sighed in contemplation.  After a moment, “The Gentileschi, hands down. It’s the most visceral; it delivers the highest impact.  Also, look at her expression compared to Caravaggio’s, and Klimt’s Judiths. Klimt depicted her erotically, while Caravaggio depicted her as almost timid, even as she’s right in the middle of beheading Holofernes.  The expression on Gentileschi’s Judith is the most realistic, I think. Repelled, but determined.  Also, look at her maidservant.  I mean, she’s really getting in there.  That’s loyalty.  That’s teamwork.”

“I would like to revise my earlier assertion.”

“Oh?”

“You are weird.”

“Thank you.”

***

The sun hung heavy in the sky when you emerged from the museum.   You divested yourself of Baekhyun’s jacket, handing it back to him with a grateful smile.

He took it from you, smiling as he eased into it.  “It smells like you.”

You looked at him in horror.  “I’m sorry!”

“Don’t be sorry.  I like the way you smell.  Like fresh cut lemons, and pretty girl.”

“What does pretty girl smell like?”

“You.”

“I should have seen that one coming.”

“You really should have.”

He guided you to one of the shaded benches under the trees.  “Ah, it’s so hot!”

You leaned back on your arms, taking note of the temperature. “It’s not that bad, now that the sun is going down.”    

“Wait a moment, I’ll be right back.”  

While he was gone, you tipped back your head, soaking in the dying rays of the sun, and listened to the cheerful babble of the small brook that ran through the trees beside the museum’s picnic area.  The leftover heat of the day seeped into your bones, making you feel like a lizard, and you were just starting to drift when–

“This is a pretty sight.”

You lazily opened your eyes to see Baekhyun standing in front of you with an obscenely large soft serve cone.  You raised an eyebrow.  “Where did you get that?”

“The museum cafeteria.  I’m hungry.”

You smiled, ruffling his hair as he sat next to you.

“You know you’re going to help me finish this, right?” he said, eyeing you over the cone.

“I thought that you said that you were hungry.”

“I’m hungry, not suicidal.  This thing is huge.”  You snorted.  “I wasn’t sure which you’d like, so I got swirl.”

“I like vanilla, but a little bit of chocolate with it is nice.”

“Perfect.  I like chocolate, with a little vanilla.”

“Are you just saying that?”

“No, I really do like chocolate.  And vanilla.  And strawberry.  And caramel.  And–”

“I get the point,” you laughed.

He handed one of the spoons to you, and you both went to town on the rapidly melting cone, giggling as you tried to eat it before it dripped all over his hand.

“So, Baekhyunnie,” you started, as you casually licked ice cream off of your spoon, “Tell me more about Byun Baekhyun. The man, the mystery, the legend. Tell me something interesting.”

He thought for a moment, cheek pouched adorably with a store of chocolate soft serve.  “I was actually born in South Korea.”

“What?!  Really?!”

He grinned, pleased at having surprised you.  “I moved to the US when I was 11, and I have dual citizenship.”

“That’s pretty neat.”

“I’ve never heard of my dual citizenship being described as neat before.”

You shrugged.  “What can I say?  I’m easily impressed.  Impress me some more.”

“I’ve…served in the military?”

“Really?!”

He nodded, chest puffing unconsciously.  “Mmm, right after high school. It’s mandatory for men in South Korea so, since I wasn’t willing to renounce citizenship, I just went back and did it.”

“What was it like?”

Baekhyun grimaced.  “I, in my finite wisdom, decided to enter the Marine Corps, since that’s the manliest branch, right?”  He laughed.  “They kicked my butt so bad, I coughed up my coccyx.”

Your eyes widened.  “They beat you up?!”

“No, no, nothing like that.  It was just a lot more physically demanding than I had anticipated.  To be honest, I’m glad that I did it, though. It made me a stronger person, I made friends that I otherwise never would have, and I learned a lot of useful skills.”

“What you did…when we first met…did you learn that in the military?”

He shook his head.  “Actually, no.  I have a fifth degree black belt in hapkido. I’ve been studying it since I was six.”

“Oh, wow.  So you know how to kill me with a napkin?”

He tossed you a cheeky smile, and leaned forward until there was only an inch of space between you.  “I’d rather kiss you to death.”

You turned away, face burning, as you tried to control a goofy grin.  You raised your hand to gently punch his shoulder, thought better of it, and then dropped it in your lap.  “That was so cheesy,” you muttered instead, trying to hide your amusement.

“You liked it.”  He offered you the rest of the cone, which you turned down, not wanting to accidentally spill melted ice cream on your shirt.  Shrugging, he opened his mouth and inhaled it in one go.  

You bit your lip, trying not to laugh at his chipmunk cheeks as he studiously crunched.  

He grinned at you, then stood to throw away the spoons and napkins. Returning, he held out his hand to help you off the bench, and then once again rested it against the small of your back, as he led you to his car.  

You wanted to say something cheeky about way he had been guiding you about all day but, if you were honest with yourself, you really enjoyed it; you didn’t want him to stop.  

He turned to you after you were both back in the car.  “I was thinking that we could go down to the floating pier at Miller’s Park, and just chat a bit more, before I take you home?”

Nodding, you rested your hand on his forearm as he shifted gears.  “I’d like that.”

***

You both sat on the swinging bench, your bare feet brushing softly over the cool grass as he used one foot to push the swing.

He looked down at your naked feet happily kicking in the air, as you swung.  “You’re like a little gypsy.”

Shrugging, you said, “I like to be barefoot as much as possible.  I can’t be tamed.”

He grinned, then nodded to your feet.  “Is it nice?”

“Bare feet on soft grass?  It’s the best.”

“Aren’t you worried of stepping on something sharp?”

“I have before.  It’s not the end of the world.  It hurts, you heal, and you get over it.”

“Shall I?”

“Please do.”  He took off his shoes and socks, and gingerly rested his feet on the bare grass.  “It’s nice, isn’t it?” you teased.

“It is nice.”

“See?  I taught you something new.”

He rested his arm on the bench, behind your shoulders.  “So…”

“Mm?”

“I was thinking.”

“Yes?”

“How about you go out with me again this Friday?”

“Okay.”  He smiled in satisfaction.  “Oh, wait, no!  I can’t!”

He pouted, sliding his hand into your lap to wrap around yours.  “Why not?”

“I’m supposed to go to a thing with my best friend on Friday night.  Her boyfriend is out of town, but she has been wanting to go for weeks, and I can’t let her go by herself.”

He nodded.  “You’re very loyal.”

“That’s my curse.”

“What about Saturday?”

You shook your head flirtatiously.  “I don’t know.  It depends.  What do you want to do?”

“Spend time with you.”

“Hm.  Sounds good.  Count me in.”

“It’s a date.”  He leisurely stroked the back of your hand with his thumb.  “So, tell me about your family.”

“I just have two older brothers, Jameson, and Keegan.  Well, they’re my half brothers, but they’re my brothers, you know?  They’re annoying, overprotective, annoying, sweet, annoying, thoughtful, did I mention annoying?” You sighed.  “I love them.”

“Do they help you with your dad?”

“No, they’re my mother’s sons, from her first marriage.  Her first husband was a soldier, and died overseas.  What about you?”

“I’m the eldest.  I have three sisters, and a younger brother, all of whom live in various parts of the world.”

“Do you miss them?”

“A little.”

“I would miss my brothers terribly if they left the state.”

“That’s because you’re a delicate flower,” he teased.

You snorted.  “That’s certainly not true!”

“A dainty bloom.”

“You can shut all the way up.”

“A fragile blossom.”

“How many synonyms are you going to go through?”

“That’s all I’ve got.”

You started to push him playfully, but then caught yourself, and lowered your hand.

He frowned.  Tentatively, “I’ve noticed you start to touch me a few times, and then stop.  What’s wrong?”

You shook your head.  “You’ve noticed me start to hit you a few times, and then stop.”

“Why’d you stop?”

“You want me to hit you?” you asked dubiously.

“Well, it’s not like you’re about to punch me in the face.  I like it when you’re playful.  It’s cute.”  You shook your head, and looked away, your expression shadowed.  “What’s wrong?  Did I say something wrong?”

“Of course not!  It’s just…when I was younger, I used to be very physically playful—I was a tomboy.  I used to love play-wrestling, and I would hit my brothers when we were joking around, that sort of thing.  But one day, when I was 19, Jameson told me to stop hitting him–that it was unfeminine, that I was always so violent, and that he didn’t appreciate being touched like that.  I was kind of surprised, considering he’s the one who taught me how to wrestle, and I had never hit anyone in anger. But…I said ‘Okay.  I’ll never touch you again,’ and from that day to this, I never have.”

“So, your brother’s a jerk?”

You blew out a breath.  “He was right.  I shouldn’t hit people.  It’s uncouth.”

He leaned forward, taking his hand from behind you and running it frustratedly through his hair, before curling it back around your shoulders, and pulling you almost imperceptibly toward him. “You weren’t going around pile-driving people. People give friends and family love taps all the time!  It’s part of the human experience.  And unfeminine? Since when is he the arbiter of what constitutes femininity?  If he didn’t want you to interact with him that way anymore, that’s fine, but there are nicer ways to say it than he did.”

“Wow.  You, uh, feel really passionately about love-taps, huh?”

He subsided, cracking his neck, and leaning back.  “Sorry.  I just…feel…a little protective.”

“Of me?!”

“Of course!  I like you, and I don’t like seeing you upset.  Listen,” here he lifted the hand that he had been holding, and used it to roughly tap his chest.  “I can take everything you’ve got.  You don’t have to feel inhibited around me.”  His hand moved to your wrist, and relaxed, the weight of it causing your hand to open against his chest and slowly drag down.

You stared wide-eyed at your hand, splayed across his chest, feeling the firm muscles ripple under his clothes as he breathed.   You were suddenly very aware of his proximity, of his arm resting lightly against your shoulder blades, of his heart beating under your palm.  Swallowing involuntarily, you felt his eyes on your face, but you were too shy to meet them.  So, you turned to gaze at the glittering light the gibbous moon cast on the water.  You felt Baekhyun return your hand to your lap.

“So…” he started.

“So…”

“Is this awkward?”

You thought for a moment, then shook your head.  “No.  No.  It’s…nice.  I think I like it.”

***

90’s alternative blasted through the club speakers as Suzy wrapped her arms around your neck, slowly undulating to the beat.  Your arms were around her waist, your eyes closed as you moved to the driving cellos of Rasputina’s Transylvanian Concubine.

You were two drinks into the night, and feeling pretty mellow as you danced to the sultry music of your childhood.  A few minutes later, the song ended, and you and Suzy jumped up and down in delight.

“That was my favourite song!” you yelled, trying to make yourself heard over the stripped lo-fi drumbeat of Virgin State of Mind.

“I know!  I didn’t think that they’d play the indie stuff, too!”

“That’s why this club’s 90’s Night is the best.  You can even make requests.  The DJ is pretty cool.”

“Oh, do you know her?”

“We’ve hung out a bit.  I’ll introduce you later, if you like.”

You nodded, looking up at the DJ booth to look at the tall brunette, arms snaked with tattoos, silver nose ring glinting, side shave freshly cut. “Ugh, she’s so pretty!”

“So are you,” a smooth voice whispered, entirely too intimately in your ear.  You shivered in distaste, involuntarily turning as hands reached around you to remove your arms from your friend’s waist, and spin you in the opposite direction.  A tall, oily, middle aged man looked down at you.  Well, down at some parts of you, anyway.  His thick black hair was shellacked with product, and his shirt was half unbuttoned, showing a toned, but disturbingly shiny chest.  He had probably once been handsome, but bloodshot eyes, and a fine network of broken capillaries across his nose whispered that dissipation had begun to take its toll.

“Sorry guy, I’m not interested,” you said, shaking your head, and removing his hand from your wrist.

Suzy came to stand behind you, wrapping her arms possessively around your waist, and resting her chin on your shoulder, her black hair falling in a curtain over your arm.  “Sorry, this one’s taken.”

He held up his hands, grinning.  “Oh, two for the price of one.”

Your temper flared.  “No, none for the price of nothing.  Move along, old man.”

He held a hand to his heart in mock pain.  “Aw, come on, I just want to get to know you.  Would you like a drink?”

“She’s fine,” Suzy said shortly.

“I asked her,” he said with attitude.

You raised an eyebrow.  “I’m fine.”  You rolled your eyes, as he looked you up and down, biting his lip.  From which scum soaked swamp slogged this caricature, anyway?

“In that skirt, you certainly are!”  You had let Suzy dress you tonight, and she had chosen a flouncy black lace mini skirt, over a long-sleeved black lace shirt, and thigh-high, lace-up leather boots.

You decided to take the high road.  “Listen, whatever you’re looking for tonight, I hope you find it, but we’re not really interested in anything like that.”

He sighed heavily, shaking his head.  “Alright.  Take it easy.”

“You, too!” you chirped with false friendliness.

“Ugh, what a creeper,” Suzy said, as he sauntered off in search of fresh strange.  You nodded, leaning back to confidentially let her know that you had to use the bathroom.  “Alright, I’m going to get another shot.”

***

Your eyes scanned the crowd, looking for Suzy after you emerged from the bathroom.  Darn her and her tiny, birdlike bones.  You should start putting bells on her.  Starting for the bar, you figured that you’d begin your search there.  A strong hand grasped you by the wrist, and pulled you backwards.  For a split second, you let it, thinking that it was Suzy, but you quickly realized that her hands were much smaller than the one that was tugging you.  You turned to see the same greasy guy from earlier, a cocky grin on his face.

“Got rid of your little girlfriend, I see.  Wanna dance?”

You ripped your wrist from his grip, hissing in anger.  “I already said no.  Don’t touch me again!”

“Come on, baby!  Just one dance.”  His eyes roved hungrily up and down your body. “I’ll buy you a drink.”

“I don’t want a drink!”

His eyes shot above your head as you felt an arm snake its way across your neck, while another slid across your hips, pulling you back against a very hot, very taut body that gently, comfortingly rocked you from side to side.  Warm breath sighed past your ear, and you smiled in recognition.  You leaned your head back against a broad shoulder, turning to look at look at the side of Baekhyun’s face, as he smiled darkly at the finally silent stranger.

“Is the old man bothering you, pet?”

You lazily shook your head in negation, smiling up at him.  His eyes dropped to you, and then he turned you around, your bodies in profile. You reached up, and lightly raked your nails down side of his face, leaving livid red stripes against the warm gold.  He closed his eyes, jaw hardening against the slight pain.  Seeing his expression, you stood on your toes, slipping your hand to cradle the back of his head, while wrapping your other around his shoulder, pulling him closer to you, so that you could gently bite the side of his jaw. Baekhyun growled low, and then lifted his head, bringing his mouth close to yours, snarling softly as you undulated against him, your open mouth sending warm air over his, as you returned the snarl.  He lowered his forehead to yours, and all you could see was black, black, black as you looked up into his eyes. You smiled a wolfish smile and, in unison, you turned your heads toward the man who wouldn’t leave you alone.

“Any questions?” Baekhyun queried.

After a lengthy pause, the man came up with a response he thought the height of wit.  “I didn’t want you, anyway,” he muttered, backing away, and quickly disappearing into the crowd.

You hid your face in Baekhyun’s chest, your body shaking as you tried, unsuccessfully, to hold back giggles.

“Shhh!” he admonished.  “You’re going to blow our cover!”  He pulled you behind one of the club’s carved pillars, holding you tightly as you laughed hysterically.

“Did you see his face?!” you guffawed.

“It was priceless!”

You stopped laughing long enough to imitate the man’s stunned expression, and you both doubled over, holding your stomachs, and whooping.  You looked up at him, his mouth wide with laughter, and noticed how red the side of his face was.  “Oh, wait, wait!”  You lifted a hand to his reddened cheek, caressing the skin.  “Did I hurt you?”

He smiled, “Nah, it looks worse than it is.  I’m easily marked, remember?”

You nodded, but then another thought occurred to you.  “What are you doing here?”

He looked around, and then gestured toward the bar.  “You see my guy over there?”

Your eyes scanned the bar in the general direction of his hand until you saw a man slumped over with a drink in his hand.  You nodded.

“His girlfriend just broke up with him, and…here we are.”  He cocked his head, and sucked in a breath through his teeth.  “By the looks of it, I don’t think that I’m doing a very good job of cheering him up.”

You playfully tugged at the lapels of his black jacket, then slipped your hand inside to pull him closer to you, your palm sliding over the warm silk of his black dress shirt.  “You’re cheering me up marvelously.”

“Whoa,” he grinned, tapping your nose.  “Someone’s been in the sauce.  Feeling a bit tipsy, are we?”

You crinkled your nose, then pouted.  “I’ve had two whole drinks!”

“I’ve had two whole drinks!” he mocked.

You laughed and then stomped your foot.  “Don’t imitate me!”

“Don’t imitate me!”  

You snorted, and swatted a hand over his jean-clad bottom. He grinned mischievously, looking at you sideways.  “I guess I’ll have to give you back to him, huh?” you pouted.  Just then Suzy walked up, looking between the two of you uncertainly.  “Suzy!” you said, throwing your arms around her, and pulling her closer.  You leaned over and whispered in her ear, “This is Baekhyun.”

She surveyed him coolly up and down, and held out her hand.  “Suzy.”

He shook it with a charming grin, “Byun Baekhyun.  I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Suzy gave him a cold smile.  “I’ve heard a lot about you, too.

You hissed, and bumped her with your hip, giving her a look.  Be nice!

She looked back at you.  I am being nice!

You pouted.

She narrowed her eyes, and then rolled them, throwing an arm around your shoulders.  “Look, Byun, I’m sure that you’re a really nice guy, and I’m all ready to love you, but I have to tell you, if you hurt my best friend, I’m coming for you.”

Baekhyun smiled angelically.  “If I hurt her, you have full permission to put your Louboutin so far up my butt, I taste shoe polish.”

Suzy grimaced, side-eyeing you.  “Sooo gross.  You two are actually made for each other.”

You grinned, and turned your attention back to Baekhyun.  “Why don’t you invite your friend to hang out with us?

He made a face, and then said, “Let me go talk to him for a minute.”

You watched him as he walked off, eyeing him as he smoothly moved through the crowd.  Leaning toward Suzy, you said confidentially, “I hate to see him go, but I love to watch him walk away.”

She turned to you.  “You, my friend, are cut off for the rest of the night.  You are such a lightweight!”

You gave her a brilliant grin, glancing at Baekhyun as he threw his arm around his friend.  “Sometimes I want to sink my teeth into his bottom, like a peach.”

“I don’t want to hear about your perverted fantasies.”

Dreamily, “His shoulders are so wide, and strong.  He really knows how to fill out a suit well, if you know what I mean.”

Suzy glanced toward the bar.  “I’m not entirely sure that I do.”

“You know what else?  I can’t stop thinking about how good his thighs would look in tight black leather pants.”

“Down, girl.”

“No, seriously, though, just look at them.  He has the thighs of a mythical Greek hero.”

She squinted, then looked back at you incredulously.  “Just what did they put in those shots?!”

“What’s so confusing is that he’s simultaneously so hot, and so cute.  Have you seen his upper lip?  It’s like a baby’s!  It’s so pink and delicate. I don’t know if I want to kiss him, or stuff his mouth with sweets.  I’m so conflicted.”

“That’s why I like you,” she said drily.  “You really get to the heart of the hard-hitting questions of our age.”

“Okay, did I not listen to you wax rhapsodic about your precious boyfriend’s Adam’s apple?

“Valid.”

“Thank you.”  You sucked in a breath, “I know that we’ve only been on two dates, and okay, maybe part of it is because he saved my life, but something about him is driving me crazy.  He’s so perfect that it’s scary.”

“Everyone feels that way in the beginning.  It’s called infatuation.”

You gave her a look.  “Are you really trying to give me a psych lesson?”

“No, I’m just trying to be the voice of reason.”

“Isn’t that my job?”

“Which is why this is so scary!”

You laughed.  “Don’t worry.  I know I sound obsessed, but I’m just enjoying being in crush.  It has been…years.  I didn’t think that it was ever going to happen again.”

Her eyes softened.  “I told you that it would.”

Sighing, “I know, but just someone says something doesn’t make it true. Especially if they love you.”

She was silent for a moment.  Then, “Okay.  Logic-Suzy is gone.  Let’s perv.”

You turned to her, grinning.  “He usually wears these three piece suits to work, and he looks so delicious that I just want to tie him down, blindfold him with his own tie, and—“

Suzy glanced up, eyes widening with panic, and then clapped a hand over your mouth.  You mrphed indignantly.  “Hi, Baekhyun! Welcome back!” she said brightly.

Your eyes widened as you heard his amused voice behind you.

“No, no, no, move your hand.  I want to see where this goes.”

“Why doesn’t the earth ever open up and swallow you when you want it to?” you moaned, turning to him, with your head hung low in shame.

Baekhyun smiled sweetly, looking at you as if you were the cutest thing in the world.  Leaning forward, he whispered in your ear.  “Don’t feel bad. That pencil skirt that you were wearing at the museum caused me to have a few inappropriate thoughts of my own.”

You felt your face flame, and you floundered to change the subject before you could go into a full-body blush.  “Uh…so…what about your friend?!”

He shook his head, and gestured behind him.  You peered over his shoulder to find his friend had gone.  “He decided that drinking his sorrows wasn’t the healthiest idea, so he’s going to go home, and drown them in ice-cream, instead.”

“Shouldn’t you go with him?” you asked.

“Nah.  He mumbled something incoherent, but the general gist was that at least one of us should be happy.”  He raised his eyes to look at both you and Suzy.  “Are you hungry?”

You and she looked at each other, reading each other’s thoughts.  Hours of dancing had made you both ravenous. She answered for the two of you.  “Starving.”

He gestured to a booth near a quiet corner that had just opened.  “Let me get us something to eat.”

Suzy raised an eyebrow.  “I like you better, already.”

***

The table was littered with partially-drunken glasses of liquour, empty bottles of cider, and well picked-over dishes, most of which belonged to Suzy.  You and Baekhyun slipped out of the booth, leaving a very unconscious Suzy to sleep off her alcohol haze.  Before you could spirit him away to the dance floor, he took off his jacket, and laid it over the gently snoring body of your best friend, covering her bare legs. Your heart throbbed at the conscientious gesture.

“To be so tiny, she can really put it away,” Baekhyun whispered incredulously.

“That’s her charm.”  You clasped his hand in both of yours while Shirley Manson’s voice purred seductively over the speakers.   Walking backwards, you pulled him through the crowd, his eyes on yours as you guided him to the dance floor. Once you sensed a clear spot, you wrapped your arms around the back of his neck, pulling him close, and tilted back your head to look up at him. “…I lose what I love most…Did you know I was lost until you found me?…”  “Do you have any idea how glad I am to see you tonight?”

His arms tightened around your waist at your whispered words.  He smiled down at you, face full of satisfaction as his eyes lazily roamed your face.  “Do you have any idea how glad I am that you’re glad to see me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

His eyes darkened as he looked inward at some unpleasant memory.  “Some people want to claim you, but still play around behind your back.”

You sighed deeply, swaying to the music like a slender reed in the summer breeze.  “That’s not my style.  I’m not built to cheat.”  You scrunched your nose, and wriggled your hips, making him laugh.  “I’m built for comfort, not for speed.”

“Good girl,” he said, firmly patting your lower back.

“So…is there a story there?”

“Isn’t there always?”

You leaned closer, gently caressing his jaw, and watching the emotions play over his face.  “Tell me?”

He shook his head, eyes closed.  “She doesn’t matter.  You’re here, now.”

You tilted his head down, capturing his eyes when he opened them.  “What about you, Baekhyunnie?  Are you faithful?”  “…You say that you’ll be there to catch me… Or will you only try to trap me?”

He leaned forward and nuzzled his nose to yours, causing you to smile.  “I couldn’t cheat–wouldn’t even want to.  I think that an unbreakable connection between two people is the most beautiful thing in the world.”

Your sigh of content ghosted over his mouth.  You closed your eyes, letting his sweet words sink past your slight inebriation to touch the cold, dark place deep inside.  “Stroke of luck, or gift from God?  Hand of fate, or devil’s claws?  From below, or saints above, you come to me…”  You slowly shook your head.  “What’s wrong with you?”

He raised his eyebrows.  “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what’s wrong with you?  You present as perfect, so I know that there has to be some sort of nasty little secret you’re keeping deep down in the dark.”

He looked away from you, and smiled.  “I…like eating crackers in bed.”

You gasped.  “Shameful!”  Turning in his arms, you wrapped his hands back around your waist, rolling your body to the music.  His breath hitched, and you smiled to yourself.  “What else?  You heard him swallow hard before continuing.

“Sometimes I open snacks and eat them while I’m shopping.”

“Do you still pay for them?”

“Of course!”

“Well, then, that’s alright.”

“I’m trying to confess here, pet.”

“What else ya got?”

“I’m stubborn.”

“You don’t say!”

He chuckled.  “Well, what about you?  What are your darkest secrets?”

You pondered.  “Once, when I was six, I accidentally stole a candy bar…”

“You little criminal!”

You slapped him on the arm.  “Shut up!  I still feel guilty about it!”

“How does one accidentally steal a candy bar?”

“I thought that my dad said, ‘Yes’, when I asked if I could have it, but he was saying ‘Yes’ to someone else with whom he was talking.”

“That’s not so much stealing as a misunderstanding.”

“He threatened to send me to jail.”

“At six?!”

“Well, he didn’t believe in corporal punishment, so he did the most drastic thing that he could think of, to leave an impression.”  You laughed. “By the end of it, he was ‘crying’ more than I was, at the idea of having to be separated from me, due to my impending jail time.  So, we made a pact that he wouldn’t tell, so that I could stay with him.”

“Unsure if that’s adorable, or horrifying.”

“It’s a ‘look back and laugh’.” Baekhyun just smiled uncertainly.  “I guess you had to be there,” you said awkwardly.

He spun you around, running his hands from your shoulders down to your waist, rocking his body from side to side to the beat.

“You’ve got some pretty sweet moves, there, Byun.”

“You’re a pretty good dancer, too.”

“Eh, just because these are all slow songs.  What I lack in rhythm, I make up for in enthusiasm.”

He smiled, shaking his head.  “Don’t try to distract me, pet.  You were busy baring your soul.”

“Ah, yes.  Let’s see…”  You leaned up to whisper in his ear.  “I cheated on an Econ exam once.”

He looked shocked.  “Wow!  I really am dating a criminal.”

You blushed.  “I had to take first year Econ as a requirement for PoliSci, and I had no idea what I was doing, so…”  You shrugged.  “I cheated just enough to pass the exam–I wasn’t trying for an A, or anything.  I even left a question blank.  After the papers were passed back out, the professor called me up to the front–I just knew that I was going to be busted–but he just yelled at me for the question that I left blank.  He said that he knew that non-Econ majors had to take the class, as part of their major’s reqs, so he took that into account when he graded, and would go easy on us.  He told me that if I put anything, anything at all that related to econ, he could give me some points for it, but if I left something blank, he’d have no choice but to give me a zero.  I skated by his class with a B-, and I’m still grateful for it.  That man was a saint.”

“That was really nice of him.”

“I know!”

“You’re still a lawless hooligan, though.”

“I’m bad to the bone, baby!  What’s it like dating a bad girl?”

“I don’t know. I’ll tell you when I find one.”

“Contrarian!”  You leaned over and nipped his shoulder.  

He laughed, his eyes shining.  “What else?”

“That’s it.”

“That’s it?!”

“Those are my deepest, darkest secrets.”

He reached up to gently stroke your hair.  “You are a good girl.”

Wrinkling your nose, you moved your head away from his hand.  “Make no mistake, Byun.  I’m not a good girl.  I’m a nice girl.  There’s a distinct difference.”

He pulled you a little closer, causing you to blush at the intimate contact, and you were thankful that the darkness of the club hid the heat in your cheeks.  “What is the difference?”

“I pretty much always follow all the rules.  But I don’t always enjoy it.” You waved a hand airily.  “I keep my evil on the inside.”

“What rules would you like to break?”

“I wish that I could say what I actually think, instead of being polite, and politic all the time.”

“Everyone feels like that, pet.”

You flirtatiously pressed closer, letting him feel your curves slide against him as you slowly danced.  Standing on your toes, you drew close to whisper in his ear.  “Are you trying to convince me that I’m actually a good girl, after all?”  This time, as you drew back, you had the pleasure of watching him swallow involuntarily at your query.  

He raised his head, closing his eyes in an effort to stay in control. After a moment, he opened his eyes, and smiled down at you.  “I think that it’s time for all good little girls to be in bed.  Even you.”  You started to protest, when he sucked in a warning breath.  “It’s gone three, you’re tipsy, and I like you too much to co-sign your doing anything that you might regret tomorrow.”  He stood, holding your hands, and waiting.  After a bit of thought, you reluctantly nodded in concession, and he slipped an arm around your shoulder, and walked you back to the table where Suzy continued to peacefully snore.  “How did you get here?”

“We took an Uber.”

“Excellent.  I’ll take you both home.”

***

Baekhyun helped you carry a nominally conscious Suzy upstairs to her apartment, dropping her unceremoniously on her bed with a huff.  

You led him back to the living room couch, saying, “Wait here,” as you returned to change her into pajamas, clean off her makeup, and tuck her in.

He watched you from the couch as you quietly closed the door to her room. Standing, he reached for you, saying, “I’ll take you home, now.”

“I think that I should stay with her tonight.”

He smiled wistfully.  “You’re a loyal friend.”

“I just want to make sure she’s okay.  Take care of her if she gets sick, or anything.”

Just then, you both heard a key in the lock.  Turning, you saw Suzy’s boyfriend enter, and you skipped over to greet him with a hug. “Jongdae!  You’re back!”

He patted your back tiredly, cautiously looking over your shoulder, at Baekhyun.  “Yay, I’m back…” he said with markedly less enthusiasm.  He straightened, smiling down at you, though his gaze kept flickering behind your shoulder.   “I didn’t want to stay anothere night away from Suzy-Q, so I just drove back after the last lecture.”  Seeing the question in his eyes, you introduced them.  “Ah, so you’re the man trying to steal our little chickadee’s heart,” Jongdae laughed, ruffling your hair, as you unsuccessfully tried to push him away.

Baekhyun smiled, reaching out to gently card his fingers through your wild hair, carefully combing, and smoothing it back into place. “That’s me. And since you’re back…?” he looked at you questioningly.

You nodded.  “Sure, you can take me now.”  You turned to Jongdae, “I was going to stay with Suzy, after sending Baekhyun first, but since you’re here, I’m going to go home.”

Jongdae smiled at both of you, his eyes already starting to drift closed.  “I hate to be such a rude host, but I’ve been going since before dawn, and I’m dead…”

You got behind him, pushing him toward the bedroom.  “Go to sleep.  I’ll see you later.”

He waved vaguely over his shoulder as he entered the darkened bedroom, quietly closing the door.

You and Baekhyun tiptoed out of the apartment, and down the stairs.

“He seemed nice,” Baekhyun stated as you both slipped into his car.

“He is nice.  He’s an assistant professor of music.”

“Vocal, or instrumental.”

“Vocal.  Like you.”

“I like him already.”

You snorted, snuggling down into the plush seat.  You didn’t see Baekhyun look over at you, his gaze soft as he watched your face begin to relax into sleep.  

***

You awoke still in Baekhyun’s car, your seat pushed back, his jacket over your legs, as he gazed out his window.  Yawning, you sat up, and looked around.  “Home?”  He turned to you with a smile.  “How long have we been here?” you queried.

“I wasn’t watching the time.”

You looked at the sky, noticing the imperceptible lightening that preluded the dawn. “Why didn’t you wake me?  You must be tired!”

“I’m fine. Come on; let’s get you inside.”

He held your hand as he walked you to your door, guiding you up the steps as you practically sleep-walked across your porch.  

You unlocked the door, and then turned to give him your farewell.  After a moment, you realized that you were just staring at his chin, so you raised your head to look him in the eye.  

He leaned closer, eyes sweetly caressing your face.  

You watched him as he lowered his eyes to your mouth.

After a moment however, he seemed to come to a reluctantly made decision.  He moved his head to your shoulder, wrapping his arms around you, and giving you a warm, all-enveloping hug.  

You leaned into him, closing your eyes.  His hold was so steady, so comforting.  You could fall asleep just like this.  

With a sigh, he released you, moving back just far enough to drop a chaste kiss on your forehead.  “Goodnight, pet.”

[foofygoldfish]

the wedding; faith seed x alice riley

so uh - this is awkward as hell. but oh well. a sequel to @elusetta‘s wedding fic, this time featuring Adelaide and Mary May being upset that they dared to get married without either of them, as well as the presence of Claire and Carolina Denno, their foster daughters.

warning, this is cheesy as fuck and i have no idea what i’m doing for any of it lmao

there’s also a key at the end of the wedding party/involved people, because i spent way too much time figuring that out

The war had been over for five long years. Hope County was finally getting back on its feet, with buildings being repaired, families returning, and more small victories every day. Casey had permanently taken control of the Testy Festy, the Rye’s had monthly barbecues, and the Fall’s End churches were busier than ever, with regular services, as well as funerals (many, at first, then slowly petering out to a normal rate) and weddings.

Weddings, like the one that was happening today: former Deputy, now mayor, Alice Riley, and former Herald of the Project at Eden’s Gate, Faith Seed.

Whispers had been going around the valley for months. The couple had “officially” married a few years back, after Faith’s house-arrest had loosened to include more areas of the county, but - at Mary May and Adelaide’s insistence - they were finally having a big ceremony.

Nobody was sure if it was because they wanted to, if it was simply happening because of Adelaide’s insistence, or if it was for the benefit of their foster daughters, who had moved in with them nearly three years before.

It didn’t matter, of course - while the ceremony was for friends and family, everyone knew that at least half the county would show up to the reception at Primrose Ranch. Plenty of people didn’t approve of the match, even now. But, hey, free food? Even now, so long after the war, people had a hard time turning that down.

The whole thing started because of Adelaide: Mary May was upset she hadn’t been included in the original ceremony, but understood why it was so private. Adelaide?

Well, she insisted on planning a bigger ceremony. She became even more insistent after Claire and Carolina had settled into the family, saying that at the very least, they needed a picture to put on the mantle or something. A full ceremony, that’d be preferable, but… At least a picture.

Alice made the mistake of saying yes - to the picture.

It… Obviously didn’t stay as just a picture.

Planning was a flurry: trips to Missoula, then a weekend trip into Seattle (one for Alice, one for Faith), because no, their original dresses absolutely wouldn’t do, and they had to have a bridal shower (Alice won the no-presents argument, since the two had been living together for seven years now and didn’t really need anything), multiple consultations on flowers and decorations… Grace was bribed into making the wedding cake (by Alice, who thought Adelaide’s original ideas were too grand), and Casey and a friend of Elizabeth’s were handling the catering.

The bachelorette parties?

Both Alice and Faith would rather forget those.

But finally, the day was here, and the town was abuzz: the Fall’s End Church was fully-decorated, as was Primrose Ranch.

The couple both said they’d rather get ready together, at home, but both Adelaide and Mary May had insisted that they get ready separately.

Mary May’s old apartment above the bar was cleaner than the old cabin was, which was nice, but the fawning? Not as nice. Faith had gotten the house when they drew straws - she was smug, teasing Alice that she’d get pictures with the cats, but Alice wouldn’t.

“Alice, hold still.” Mary May crossed her arms, frowning when Alice stuck her tongue out at her. “Do you want to do this or not?”

“I did! Three years ago!”

“That doesn’t count!”

“Then what paperwork did I file?” Alice tugged her head away from Mary May’s grasp, sighing. “My hair is fine, Mary. It’s fine.”

Again with the frowning. “At least let me --”

“Mary May.”

“The fucking flower crown, Alice. Just let me put that on, then I’ll set you free.”

“No you won’t.” She sighed, settling back into the chair. As her friend carefully nestled the delicate flower crown in her hair - soft pink, even lighter than her hair, with white roses nestled within - she slid her hands down the chiffon of her skirt.

Even if this was more of a vow renewal than a wedding, it was still surreal. The dress was almost identical to the one she wore at her first wedding, a soft white (Adelaide’s insistence) chiffon number inspired by Grace Kelly’s blue dress in To Catch a Thief, minus the scarf. Adelaide had insisted on it - she would have prefered to wear her old dress, same with Faith, but… Sometimes you just don’t argue with Addie.

----

Holy shit.

Holy. Shit.

Alice hadn’t seen her uncle or brother in years - not since before she moved back to Hope County.

She’d sent them invitations, yeah, but… She didn’t think they could come, she thought their schedules were super busy -

But here they were.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, her uncle’s arm stretched out to help her to the door, tears barely hidden from his eyes. (Her brother? He was a mess. Caleb always was when emotions were involved and he wasn’t working)

“Hey, sweetie.”

Smiling, Alice barreled into her uncle, hugging him close. “I missed you, Uncle T. And you too, Caleb, fuck, I missed you guys.”

“Oh, uh -” Alice looked up the stairs, smiling as she saw Claire walking down. “Uncle T, Caleb, this is Claire, Grace and Joey are outside, uh, I think you’ve already met Hurk over there, and Mary May, Caleb, you remember  -”

Thomas shook Hurk’s hand, smiling, before crouching down in front of Claire. “So you’re the famous Claire?”

The little girl nodded, “Mmhm.”

“So, I hate to break this up - “ Grace poked her head inside the bar, nodding in the direction of the church. “But Joey said everyone’s in the church.”

Thomas gave Alice a reassuring smile, offering her arm to her. She smiled back, laughing when Caleb offered Claire a piggyback ride - the girl shook her head, but happily took her uncle’s hand.

The walk to the church was excruciating, and Alice barely remembered the walk up the aisle - it felt like a dream.

Mary May stood beside her, whispering words of encouragement, reminding her to take deep breaths.

It wasn’t the first wedding. They were already official.

But God.

Mary May’s going to tease her later for her immediately tearing up when Faith entered the church - but honestly? She doesn’t care.

Fuck.

This is happening.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her uncle smiling, her brother giving her a thumbs up, and Sharky -- fucking Sharky, being a dork, grinning like an idiot.

Faith grabbed Alice’s hand the instant she arrived at the altar, smiling at her wife. The pair turned to Pastor Jerome, who greeted the congregation.

“We are gathered here today to officially celebrate the union of Faith and Alice Riley. While I was there that day three years ago, someone, “ He looked at Mary May, who raised her hand, and laughed, “Convinced them to have a ceremony that included their friends and family. But enough of me - Thomas Riley, will be reading an excerpt from a favorite book of his.”

Oh, this is gonna be interesting.

Thomas took a deep sigh as he unfolded the paper with his reading, shooting the couple another reassuring smile. “Well, for those of you who don’t know, I’m Alice’s Uncle Thomas. Or T. Whatever. Her and Caleb moved in with me a good 15 years ago, and… Well, we may not have expected either to be where they are in life, but I know my wife and my brother would have been proud of them, and that they would have wanted to be here today. Uhm, I’m going to read y’all an excerpt from one of my - and my brother’s - favorite authors, Madeleine L’Engle.

“‘But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take. It is indeed a fearful gamble. Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, so that, together we become a new creature.’ I may not know the full details of what happened here in Hope County a few years back, but I do know that whatever happened lead my niece to Faith and even though it was risky, they stayed together. So. Congrats, you two. I love you.”

Fuckin’ hell. Alice didn’t think she’d be this much of a mess today.  “Love you too, Uncle T.”

“Now, Alice told me not to get too crazy with a bible passage - so a classic, I Corinthians 13:4-7. ‘Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.’” Pastor Jerome closed his bible, motioning to Faith. “Faith?”

“There’s no way I was going to remember this, so…” The former siren took a deep breath, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket. “There was no way I could have known how much you would mean to me, after seeing you the first time in Joseph’s church, no way that I could have thought we would get married that day two years ago.” Another deep breath - Alice noticed Faith’s hands shaking, and she reached over, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “I know not everyone likes me, and I know some people never will forget what happened. But… I’m so glad we’re together. And I’m so glad that we have everyone here - Claire, Caroline, your family, all of our friends - to witness this, and to hear me promise that in sickness and in health, richer, poorer, all of that - that I love you, I love our little family, and I always will.”

“Alice, I believe you said you had special vows?”

“Oh, Faith, you’re going to kill me. I know we said we wouldn’t get too crazy,” Alice laughed, and she heard a few snickers from the crowd. “So… Caleb and Mary May are probably the only ones who remember how much I loved this song when it came out - okay, well, maybe Staci too, but uh, I digress… So. This is a quote from one of my favorite songs, and I… It fits us. And how I feel about you. It’s not really a vow, but, Uh. ‘Your arms are my castle, your heart is my sky, you wipe away tears that I cry, the good and the bad times, we’ve been through them all, you make me rise when I fall.’”

It was cheesy as fuck, but… Faith’s smile? And the happy tears she could just see in the corner of her eyes - worth it.

“And now, the rings.” Jerome waved Sharky forward, and the man happily handed Alice and Faith their wedding rings. They were the same from before - each had handed over their original rings that morning, both happy that they had talked Adelaide into not buying them new ones. “I believe you two know what to say?”

“With this ring, I thee wed.” Faith slipped the ring onto Alice’s finger, smiling at her.

“With this ring, I thee wed. In front of everyone, this time.” Faith snorted as Alice spoke, receiving an eye roll in response.

“Well, I can’t really say that I now pronounce you wife and wife, but -” Jerome laughed. “By the power vested in me by God and the state of Montana, I happily, finally introduce Alice and Faith Riley.”

They skipped a kiss (Alice faintly heard Hurk yelling “come on,” but she ignored him), instead touching foreheads.

“I love you.”

Faith sighed. “I love you, too.”

The pair ducked into their house as guests filed out of the church, piling into cars to head to the reception at Elizabeth’s ranch.

Later, after a flurry of pictures in Fall’s End and on the ranch, they took a deep breath outside the tent the reception was in.

“You ready?”

“No.” Alice looked up at Faith, then sighed. “Ready as I can be.”

Faith laughed, kissing the top of Alice’s head, and lead her wife to the head table. There were cheers and whistles (Alice shot a glance at Sharky and Hurk, who laughed and settled back into their chairs) as they sat down.

It wasn’t as crazy as she had expected, honestly - Adelaide had talked big, but hadn’t gone as all-out as she had threatened. Twinkle lights hung between the tents supports, wrapped in fake vines, with tea lights and fresh bouquets of flowers on each table. It seemed like half the county was there, but with Hope County, that… That was to be expected. Even with the fact that it was one of the old enemies of the county being married - it was still the biggest party the county had seen since the day Joseph was arrested.

Boomer laying at her feet, wearing a little “dog of honor” bandana, chewing on a bone - Alice could tell that his presence was helping Faith, who still wasn’t used to being around so many people that used to hate her.

After a round of appetizers, and an awkward toast from her brother (no baby stories, thank God.), Wheaty called for them to come out for their first dance.

As the first notes of “Crazy He Calls Me” played, Faith rested her cheek against Alice’s. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“I love you.”

Alice smiled, quickly kissing Faith. “I know.”

-

As the song ended, Wheaty announced that the floor was open to dancing, and Faith and Alice slipped outside with Claire and Carolina.

“So. We have a question for you two.” Alice wrapped her arm around Claire, Faith doing the same with Carolina. “You guys have been with us for a while now, and... “

“Well, what do you two think about becoming Rileys?” Faith smiled

Carolina looked between Faith and Alice, confused. “You mean….?”

“Welllll, we have the paperwork all finished, we just have to turn it in,” Alice said, looking up at Faith.

Claire squealed. “So you’re gonna be our moms?”

“If you want?” She looked at Carolina, then to Claire. “Uh, if you --”

Faith laughed as both Claire and Carolina hugged Alice, before being pulled in by Alice. “We love you two.”

-------

Eyyyy it was going to be super awkward after that so I’m ending it there!

I also spent way too much time figuring this out, so… Here’s the bridal parties/etc:

Alice’s Side

Maid of Honor: Mary May Bridesmaids: Hurk, Hudson, Grace, Claire Family: Uncle, brother, Sheriff Dad, Eli Walk down the aisle: Her uncle

Faith’s Side

Maid of Honor: Jane Bridesmaids: Elizabeth, Kim, Carolina Family: Sharky Walks her down the aisle: Nick? (because of Kim)

Gen

Officiant: Pastor Jerome Flower Girl: Baby Rye Ring Bearer: Sharky DJ: Wheaty Caterer: Grace/Casey Planner: Mary May Adelaide helps fund Jess avoids all the bridal stuff, but attends the wedding

[gorillazgal86]

Book of Love 1/3

This fandom got me feeling 16 again . . . uggggh, so beautiful.  I did a thing and wrote a fic.  Also available over at AO3:  https://archiveofourown.org/works/19731313/

____________________

Crowley was not a "reader" as such.  He can read, of course, and had been known to, on occasion, sit down and enjoy a book.  But he couldn't lose days in a novel any more than Aziraphale could sleep away a century.  What he did enjoy very much, however, was being read to -- by Aziraphale.  Before the world offered such charming distractions as mobile phones and televisions, Crowley would have passed many hours in the back room of the bookshop, listening intently as the angel shared stories he thought Crowley would like.  

"Dear boy," Aziraphale said to him on a bright afternoon in 1890.  "You must join me this evening!  Oscar has just given me a signed copy of his first novel and from what he's told me so far, it's simply marvellous!" the angel was giddy with excitement.  

"You said the same thing when Dicken's gave you *Great Expecatations*.  And that was hard work," Crowley arched an eyebrow, not entirely convinced.  

"Well, yes, but this is different, you like Wilde,"

Crowley laughed, "Not as much as you do."

Aziraphale bristled, looking a touch embarassed.  "He's a lovely man, with such wit!  Oh, come on, trust me on this one.  Come around to the shop this evening and we'll read it together with a bottle of wine."

"Oh all right angel, if you insist,"  Crowley sounded more put off the idea than he actually was.

"Splendid!"  Aziraphale clapped his hands in delight.

That evening, Crowley appaered at the door of the bookshop and rapped the door before turning the handle to open it. The sign read "closed", but then it usually did.  "Angel, are you in, it's me?"

"Oh yes!  Just in the back, dear, letting the wine breathe."  

The demon closed the door behind him, turning the latch to lock the door and went to join Aziraphale.

"Letting in breathe?  Did you dig out some special?"  Crowley asked.

"Of course, this is a momentous occassion, Wilde's first novel, he's a dear friend and we should toast the accomplishment."

"Well, yes, of course."  Crowley chuckled and watched as the angel busied himself.  He was handed a glass, which he took gratefully.  "I've brought some chocolates, just something to nibble on,"  Crowley offered a simple box.  

"That's very thoughtful of you, thank you" Aziraphale's eye lit up and took the box, never one to turn down a treat.

"They're Belgian, you'll like these,"  Crowley said, nodding his head towards the box.

Azirphale couldn't resist opening the box, looking over the selection reverently.  He selected one and placed it delicately on his tongue.  Crowley watched with interest as Aziraphale bit down, his eyes opening in surprise, a bit of liquor escaping the corner of his mouth.  Crowley's breath hitched slightly as the angel's tongue darted out to catch it.  

"Ooo, there's ameretto in those, how wonderful,"  Aziraphale took a moment more to savour the flavour.  "Lovely and a bit boozy, exellent choice Crowley!"  he beamed.

Crowley pulled his eyes away, very aware he was staring most indecently.  "I'm glad you like them," he lifted a kirsch one for himself.  

Aziraphale made his way to the ageing settee and set down his own glass and the wine bottle. "Here, get comfortable dear boy, this is a novel after all."  

Crowley pulled his coat off, draping it on a nearby bookshelf.  He loosened his cravat and stuffed it into coat pocket and finally undid the first couple of buttons around his neck.  He sat next to Aziraphale on the settee, settling in and stretching his legs out.  "So let's see this book then angel,"  Crowley put his hand out.  He knew Aziraphale enjoyed showing off his treasures and this would be no excpetion.  

Aziraphale handed him the magazine the story had been published in, "It's not in hardcover yet, hot off the press, as it were.  *The Portrait of Dorian Gray*"  he smiled.  Crowley lifted it and gave it an appreciative lookover.  

"Very nice,"  he said and pulled his sunglasses off, setting them beside him and picking up his wine.

Aziraphale took a deep drink of his wine and took the magazine back from Crowley.  He settled his reading glasses (not that he needed them, but found them very becoming) on his nose opened the first page, and began to read:

"THE artist Is the creator of beautiful things.  To reveal art and conceal the artist Is art's aim.  The critic Is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his Impression of beautiful things. The highest, as the lowest, form of criticism is a mode of autobiography."

Crowley let his eyes close and Aziraphale's voice wash over him.  

"Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only beauty.  There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all."

Crowley adored these quiet moments, beautiful words on beautiful lips, read by a beautiful voice.  He could listen to Aziraphale read the Bible (and indeed had, on a number of occassions) and he would not grow tired of it.  These were amongst their more intimate moments, Aziraphale was not fretting about the mis-deeds Crowley might be up to and when engaged in a story, the angel was truly himself.  He consumed books like a man starving and while he didn't always let Crowley into this world, when he did Crowley could imagine an alternate reality where they were not mortal enemies.  

"Are you comfortable, dear boy?" Aziraphale asked as he finished the first chapter.  

"Mm, yes thank you angel, more wine though, please,"  Crowley opened his eyes and offered his now empty wine glass.  Aziraphale refilled it, along with his own.

"Are you enjoying it, so far?"  

"I am, yes, it's very good in fact.  Keep going,"  Crowley sipped at his wine and edged closer.  

Aziraphale smiled, delighted the demon was enjoying this as much as he was.  He continued to read, the soothing tenor of his voice relaxing Crowley to his core.  A warming tingle from the wine beginning to settle in his stomach. As the chapers went in, Crowley slowly began to slump into the settee, and eventually his head found it's way to Aziraphale's lap.  Aziraphale only stopped to sip or refill his wine and when he felt the pressure on his leg, his fingers found their way effortlessly into Crowley's hair, threading their way through the auburn strands.

"That's lovely angel," he murmured.  

"Shall i keep going?"  Aziraphale looked down at Crowley, who looked like he may be falling asleep.  His thumb brushed across his forehead, his fingers still slowly tangling in and out of his hair.

"Don't stop, I'm awake,"  Crowley reassured him, opening his golden eyes and looking up.

Crowley settled again against the warmth of Aziraphale's soft stomach and gentle touch thorugh his hair.        He prayed this would go on forever.  

"Angel,"  he said, just barely a whipser, when Aziraphale's voice had gone quiet and the story had finished.  

"Yes?"  Aziraphale asked.

"Can you read me another one?  Please?"  

"Of course my dear."

[singingaboutwishingx]

Sneezing and Screaming and Cries, Oh My (Jacques Snicket x Olivia Caliban fic)

Monday, 3:57 p.m.

After two days in the hospital, Olivia and Jacques were home— with a new addition. Delilah Jane Snicket-Caliban had been born on Saturday, a healthy, beautiful baby. 

Kit and Jacquelyn rushed to them as soon as they walked through the door, taking suitcases and gift bags off their hands. The Baudelaire and Quagmires called out greetings but stayed where they were as not to crowd Jacques and Olivia. 

Olivia gently sat down on the couch, still holding Delilah. Jacques sat on one side and Kit sat on the other, cooing at the baby. Jacquelyn perched herself on the arm of the sofa next to Kit.  

“You can come see her now, kids,” Olivia said, smiling softly. The children walked around to the back of the couch, looking at Delilah for the second time ever. 

“She’s beautiful,” Duncan said quietly. 

“She looks very healthy,” Klaus added. 

“Delilah Jane came home today/‘We love her so’ is all we can say,” Isadora ad-libbed. 

“Iz, that’s adorable! And very true,” Kit replied. She turned back to Jacques and Olivia. “You two are probably exhausted. You should get some rest while we take care of Delilah for a bit.” 

“Kit, is this just an excuse for you to hold my baby for an hour?” 

“Absolutely.” The two women grinned at each other. “But seriously, giving birth is hard stuff. Go take a nap, Liv.”

Olivia sighed and acquiesced, handing Delilah to Kit. She and Jacques practically dragged themselves up the stairs towards their bedroom. 

“Wow, they really did need that.” Quigley was surprised; they’d seemed fine until then. 

They all just stared at Delilah for a while, taking the absolutely perfect bundle in Kit’s arms. Her big gray eyes blinked back at them until she eventually fell asleep.

“Jacquelyn, you wanna hold her?” 

“Come here, little one,” she whispered as Kit transferred the baby to her. Jacquelyn was absolutely enraptured by the sleeping infant in her arms, as was everyone else. 

  The rest of the day was quiet, interrupted occasionally by Delilah waking up and screaming. Olivia woke up when she screamed and fed her every two hours (she followed parenting books like the Bible), only to go right back to sleep. It was fairly uneventful, that first day, but the peace was much appreciated by everyone. 

••••••••••••••••••••

Tuesday, 3:32 a.m.

Jacques woke up to a crying Delilah and groaned, Olivia  beginning to stir next to him. 

“When was the last time you fed her?” he asked. 

She glanced at the clock. “Half an hour ago, so I know she’s not hungry.” Her voice was thick with sleep, and she yawned. 

“Go back to sleep, love. I’ll get her.” 

“Bless you, Jacques Snicket.” She rolled back over.

Jacques padded over to Delilah’s crib, where she lay screaming at the top of her tiny little lungs. He checked her diaper, and upon finding nothing, gently picked her up, bouncing lightly from side to side. The screaming didn’t let up, so Jacques began to sing a lullaby. 

“Arrorró mi niño                         Arroró mi sól                            Arrorró pedazo                           De mi corazón

Este lindo niño se quiere dormir cierra los ojitos y los vuelve a abrir.

Arrorró mi niño, arrorró mi sol, duérmase pedazo, de mi corazón.” 

Delilah had become silent, stared at him, and fallen asleep again during the span of the song. Jacques laid her down, returning to bed. Olivia was still somewhat conscious. 

“Where did you learn that?” she asked, sounding both groggy and inmpressed. 

“I went to Peru for a mission, and the people I stayed with had a baby. The mother sang this to him all the time. The song just kind of stayed with me.” 

“It was wonderful. Thank you.”

They fell back asleep, holding hands. 

••••••••••••••••••••

Wednesday, 12:24 p.m.

Delilah had been sneezing all morning, and Olivia was worried. She had been obsessively flipping through her parenting books in between feedings.  

“There’s nothing here about sneezing! What if she’s really sick?” 

“Well,” said Kit, looking at the bassinet from where she was doing their dishes (she’d been doing little things like that all week, and Jacques and Olivia could not have been more grateful), “maybe we should just use that nose sucker thing. That should clear out any snot she’s producing. And sometimes I think they just sneeze to clear out any dust or anything. Lemony sneezed a ton as a baby, and he turned out fine.”

“Let’s try that, then.” Olivia grabbed the nasal sucker and braced herself for the inevitable screaming. 

Olivia used it, Delilah wailed, and Kit just stood, looking concerned because she wasn’t really sure how to help. She eventually decided on just returning to the pile of silverware she’d been working through. 

Delilah calmed after a moment and just blinked at Olivia. 

“I think she’s stopped,” Olivia whispered. 

“Why are you whispering?” Kit whispered back. 

“I don’t want to jinx it.”

Delilah sneezed. 

••••••••••••••••••••

Thursday, 7:50 a.m.

“Alright kids, time to head out!” Olivia called. She picked up Delilah and walked out the door, followed by the Baudelaires.

Jacques was already outside, waiting to take them to school. Olivia kissed everyone and sent them off, waving. 

She walked back inside. “It’s just you and me today, baby girl,” she cooed. “We’re gonna have fun! Auntie Kit and Auntie Jacquelyn are coming over, and we’ll have tea.” 

Olivia got herself and Delilah ready. She was boiling the water for tea when Kit and Jacquelyn came in. 

“Hello!” Kit sang. “How are my two favorite girls?” 

“Kit, your wife is standing right there,” Olivia laughed.

“My bad, babe,” Kit apologized, kissing Jacquelyn on the cheek. 

“No hard feelings, Delilah’s probably my favorite person in any room.” Jacquelyn smiled back at Kit and placed the basket of muffins they’d brought on the table. 

“Tea’s coming out,” Olivia said, carrying a teapot to the table. “It hasn’t fully steeped yet, so we can sit down and talk for a minute.”

They sat down. “So how has it been going with Delilah?” Jacquelyn asked. “Any firsts?”

Olivia chuckled. “Well, we had our first spit-up on Tuesday; that was about as pleasant as you’d imagine. And I saw her smile in her sleep for the first time, although I think it was just gas.” 

Jacquelyn shrugged. “Take what you can get, I guess.”

The conversation eventually drifted away from Delilah and are you two thinking of having any more babies? (they weren’t), and before they knew it, it was noon. Kit glanced at the clock. 

“Jac, we have to leave soon. I have to work at one, and I think Poe might fire you if you keep missing.” 

“Oh, he won’t. He’s too dull. I just tell him that he’s authorized my leave and after a confused minute he shrugs and takes it for granted.”

“Alright, then. But we really should be going. Keep the muffins, Olivia. You guys need them more than we do.” They rose and began to clear off the table.

“Are you sure? You’ve been helping an awful lot this week; I don’t want to overstay my welcome.” 

“Olivia, you are my sister-in-law. This is my first blood niece. I’m helping whether you like it or not.” 

“If you say so, Kit. Thank you. I love you girls,” she said, pulling the both of them into a hug. 

“We love you too, honey,” Kit said.

“Bye, Olivia. Bye, Delilah!” Jacquelyn called as they walked out the door.

Olivia closed the door and walked back over to the bassinet. Delilah was sound asleep, her little face no longer screwed up, but relaxed and peaceful. Olivia just stood and watched her baby for a while, trying to comprehend the fact that she had made this perfect girl. 

“Delilah, Delilah, Delilah. I love you, little girl.”

••••••••••••••••••••

Friday, 4:45 p.m. 

Jacques and Olivia were snuggling on the couch with Delilah (by order of Kit and Jacquelyn, who had brought the Quagmires over when they came to clean and do dishes) when Violet came into the room, siblings and Quagmires in tow.

“Jacques? Olivia?” she asked. 

“Yes, Violet?” Olivia prompted. 

“Well, we wanted to give you two some, I’m sure, much-needed alone time, so Sunny and Jacquelyn made dinner for you. There’s some leftover breast milk from when you went to the store the other day, so we won’t interrupt you unless something’s wrong.”

Olivia almost cried— these children had all been through so much, and yet they were the most generous people she knew (although it may have been from residual pregnancy hormones).

“Thank you. We would love to.” Jacques’s words were brief, but his eyes truly showed his gratitude. His heart overflowed with emotion for very much the same reason as Olivia’s. 

The children led them to the dining room, where the table was set and laden with dishes of food. Candles have the room a soft glow, and Kit and Jacquelyn were waiting inside. 

“Welcome,” Jacquelyn began, “to a romantic evening. There will be no screaming babies— in the room, at least— and no distractions. You two can enjoy yourselves without having to think about anything but each other. If you’d kindly hand Kit your child, we will exit and you may begin your meal.”

Olivia transferred Delilah to Kit’s arms, and everyone else left. 

“Well, my dear,” Jacques said, pulling out a chair for her, “shall we eat?”

Olivia delicately sat down. “Thank you. We shall.”

They ate, talking about everything  but the children. 

Meanwhile, everyone else watched over Delilah, who slept most of the time. She almost seemed to understand that the screaming should be minimal, seeing as she only cried out twice.

Jacques and Olivia ended up back out with the rest of them after a few hours (they couldn’t bear to be away from the kids for too long). They played board games, laughing and talking all the while.

It was a good evening, Olivia thought as she climbed into bed. I really do have the best family in the world. 

��•••••••••••••••••••

Saturday, 1:36 a.m.

Olivia couldn’t sleep.

She was quite confused as to why, considering her severe lack of sleep throughout the past few days. 

Maybe I need to have Jacques sing me that lullaby he’s been singing, she thought.

She laid in bed for a while, trying everything she could think of to fall asleep. After a while, Delilah began to cry, which relieved Olivia greatly. It finally gave her a reason to be awake. 

She slipped out of bed, checking the clock to make sure it wasn’t feeding time. She changed Delilah’s diaper, and the tiny girl still continued to cry. She felt her forehead for a temperature. She seemed a little warm, so Olivia gently unwrapped her blankets. She still cried. 

Olivia decided to sing a lullaby.

“Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, Go to sleepy little baby. When you wake, you shall have, All the pretty little horses.”

She sang simply and quietly, her voice sweet and melodic. Jacques had woken up by then, and gotten up. He got up and wrapped an arm around Olivia. He wove in a beautiful harmony, his voice hushed as well. 

Blacks and bays, dapples and greys, Go to sleepy you little baby,

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, Go to sleepy little baby. Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, Go to sleepy little baby, When you wake, you shall have, All the pretty little horses.”

Delilah quieted, and her parents ended the song. They both leaned down and kissed her forehead before Olivia gently placed her back in her crib. 

Olivia finally yawned, leading Jacques back to bed. From there, she was able to fall asleep. She slept at last, holding her husband in her arms and her daughter in her mind. 

•••••••••••••••••••• 

Sunday, 6:49 p.m.

Jacques was fixing dinner (or rather, heating up the casserole that Sally had brought over), and the children were taking turns holding Delilah. Everything was okay: no serious issues, no injuries, and a surprisingly low amount of crying. 

The phone rang, so Olivia got up to answer it. “Snicket-Caliban residence, this is Olivia speaking.” 

“Hi, hon.” Kit’s warm voice put a smile on Olivia’s face. “How are you guys? Do you need me or Jacquelyn to come over?” 

She looked adoringly at her four wonderful children. “No, everything’s fine. It’s perfect, really.” 

The smile in Kit’s voice was evident. “I’m glad, Olivia. Truly. But seriously, let us know if you need anything.” 

“Don’t worry. I’ll call you the second we’re in over our heads. Goodbye, Kit.”

“Goodbye, Olivia.”

Olivia hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around Jacques and laying her head on his back. 

“I love our little family,” she murmured. 

“I love them, too. And I love you.”

“I love you, too.” They smiled at each other, at peace with the world. 

  Author’s Note: Sorry this took so long! I got out of school yesterday, and I had tons of tests before that so I wasn’t able to work on this as much. Also, when I was looking at lullabies for Tuesday and Saturday, I found this French one about a guy going to his meighbor’s house in the middle of the night and asking for a pen and idk I just thought it was funny. The lullabies I ended up using are “Arrorró Mi Niño” and “All the Pretty Little Horses.”

Requested by Anon

[hestolibrary]

Masterpost of Larry fics

Every. Single. Fic. On. This. Blog. (not quite. Tumblr hates me so it deleted the larger amount. Therefore this is an ongoing masterpost.)

A A Love Like War  by sincewewereeighteen Amazing Sin by thecheshirepussycat an act of faith against the night by Eliane And down the long and silent street by whimsicule and now a piece of me is a piece of the beach by TroubledPro And I'll judge the cover by the book by harrystylesandstuff Angels and Demons by twerkinlarry                 Animal by SS98 another hazy may by deLILAh a million roses (bathed in rock n' roll) by deLILAh Auf Wiedersehen, Sweetheart by Conscious_ramblings a prayer for which no words exist by Eliane                

B baby we could be enough (i'll make this feel like home) by orphan_account Baby, What a Big Surprise by kiwikero  Bad Influence by DirtyLarryStylinson Beauty Queen on a Silver Screen by Larryinmythoughts           Be with me so happily by BriaMaria   Both Showing Hearts by kiwikero  Boys of Summer by sharktoothedfawnskinned Bring Your Body Baby (I Could Bring You Fame) by theboyfriendstagram

C Can I Make It Any More Obvious? by slashter Catch Me I'm Falling by FeelsForBreakfast Cold by RealName Come on, leave me breathless. (Tempt me, tease me until I can't deny this) by larrycaring

D Devil in the Bible Belt by TinyBeautifulTales devil town by kingsoftheimpossible Don't Look Down by zarah5 Dreaming of You by Velvetoscar

E electing strange perfections by lightofathousandstars Empty Skies by green_feelings Escapade by dolce_piccante

F Fading by tothemoonmydear faith, trust and pixie dust (and a little bit of something else too) by littlehazspoon Falling in Love by Centa0592 Fake you're full and feel tomorrow by theglitterbee Faking It by TheCellarDoor feels so good getting what i want. by stylescantstop Figure My Heart Out by lululawrence Forever Yours by snarfette    Forget me not. by littleramblings Foul Play by orphan_account                                          

G Give Me Truths by iwillpaintasongforlou give this wandering soul a home by sunshineflying    Gods & Monsters by Velvetoscar           

H Hate Me To The Moon by harrystylesandstuff honey, you've got me jumping off the wall by graceana

I i’d burn this city down to show you the light by you_explode If you're the one for me then I'll be your hero by larrycaring i hate (loving) you by stylinson I Hate Your Stupid Yellow Shorts by someonethatsfunny I'll Crash Until You Notice Me by stylinsoncity I'll Make it to the Moon if I Have to Crawl by lalune15 I'll smile to hide the truth by BriaMaria I Need A Fix Cause I'm Going Down by larryshares Inconceivable by alivingfire    In Dreams by dolce_piccante             Infinity in Always by cumquat In This Light by exhilarated In Vogue by otpwhatever Is This Seat Taken? by Lainy122 it ain't trickin' if ya got it by sarcasticfluentry It Started With Romeo by MinnieLaceHaz it's oh so still by b0yfriendsinl0ve It's All Brand New Because of You by supernope  

J just the outlines of our hands by justaboat

L language or the kiss by Awriterwrites Lego House by danceinstylinson                 Let's Be Alone Together, We Can Stay Young Forever by hilourry like a bastard on the burning sea by vashtaneradas like a boomerang by youwilll Love Is A Rebellious Bird by 100percentsassy, gloria_andrews love to make him moan by say_thanks                    

M Motel Tropics by WORLDLWT Mute by TroubledPro My English Love Affair by isthatyoularry                

N Naked & Proud by kiwikero Never Be by cherrystreet nocturne in silver and blue by tinyweirdloves  No One Does It Better by nodibs             

O Off The Record by Tomlinsontoes our little corner of the world by brownheadedstranger our shoulders, necks (used to fit so well together) by deadspy                

P Paint The Sky With Stars by kiwikero Perfect Storm by cherrystreet Promise You'll Remember That You're Mine by shitucute

R reeling through the midnight streets by vashtaneradas Run and I'll Give Chase by Madalynn_Bohemia Running Over Thoughts by FullOnLarrie

S Saturday Detention by FallingLikeThis Say You'll Remember by whisperdlullaby See You in Another Life by perfect-porcelain   7 Up by cherrystreet                         Shake Me Down by AGreatPerhaps12     Since I've Found You by Rearviewdreamer Soft Hands, Fast Feet, Can't Lose by dolce_piccante Speaking of Marvels by navigator, quitter Spoiled Brat by orphan_account straight to the vein by strong

T take a sad song by alongthewatchtower Take My Breath Away by RealityBetterThanFiction  Take me down with you by harrystylesandstuff Take Off Your Running Shoes by polkadotpeacoat Taste of a Poison Paradise by objectlesson    taste on my tongue by bethaboo Tea For Two and Two For Tea by orphan_account the body made soft to keep us from loneliness by Artthrob The Brightest Lights by Rearviewdreamer             the colour of grief by orphan_account the moon made me think of you by anabsolution   The Night Sky is Changing Overhead by Lis (domesticharry)          The Songbird That Escapes by coffinofachimera                 The Sucking Method by mafkaast These Constant Stars by stylinsoncity These Inconvenient Fireworks by mdasch and everydayslike This Wicked Game by  cherrystreet to kill the mess we've made by missandrogyny    To the Ends of the Earth by stylinsoncity Truth Be Told (I Never Was Yours) by JustForTommo Tug-of-War by cherrystreet turn any corner, there's something new by balanceds    210 Days by cherrystreet           Two Steps Behind by sacredheart

U Underdog by thesoulsailor Untangle Me by suicxne Until You Can't by hostagesfic up the long delirious burning blue by orphan_account                

W walk heavy on delicate ground by deadspy walk my days on a wire by sunshiner Way in the World by flowsque    We'll Be The Stars. by Nicolasgrimshaw Wear It Like A Crown by zarah5           We’re mesmerized (we’re fire and ice) by larrycaring we're not friends, we could be anything by nooelgallagher & yoursongonmyheart We The Fireworks by happilylarreh whatever you like by itiswhatitisbutterfly whispering of fields half-sown by Eliane Whirlwind by dolce_piccante With These Arms Folded by taggiecb with your love we could breathe underwater by luminescents Who Knew by sincewewereeighteen Who Painted the Moon Black by throughthedark Win a Date with Louis Tomlinson by dramaturgicallycorrect                 wings to break your fall by karamelised Worth Killing For, Worth Dying For by inhalethedark

Y You Are The Blood by sarcasticfluentry You Drive Me Crazy (but it feels alright) by MrsStylinson           You Drive Me Round The Bend by TheCellarDoor you drive me wild (you know you do) by missandrogyny You Got Time by bandshirtedboybanders you heard the words inside my head by strong you’ll always be my thunder by tomorrows your mind was twisted (your heart was no different) by styles_allure Your Name Is Tattooed On My Heart by mcpofife you're bleeding, but you'll be okay by strong You Watched Me Sink by bananasandboots You You You by isthatyoularry Young Gods by sincewewereeighteen Young and Beautiful by Velvetoscar

[electric-angel-wings]

A Marshfield fic for a friend of mine. :)

 Max made a wonderful pillow.

               Kate and Max had taken a well-deserved break from their studies to lay down together. Max was fast to fall asleep and Kate had laid next to her, but she found better rest with her head rested against Max’s shoulder. The rest of her body followed suit and she cuddled up to her fully, pressing her body against Max’s.

               It had been a few weeks since Max confessed how she felt about her. Kate Mash came from a very religious background and was expected to follow it so the confession was...startling to say the least. Kate didn’t exactly know how to react at first to which Max stated that she understood, and left in a fluster. Both girls were very shy, and it had taken Max a great amount of courage and plenty of psyching herself up (And Chloe’s incessant teasing and pushing) before opening up to Kate. She knew that she lived by her religion, so much that the older girl had managed to even talk her off of the top of the Blackwell dorms using one of her favorite Bible verses.

               Kate knew what she felt about Max already. Just before the incident last fall, Kate wasn’t sure how she felt about Max until she had visited her in her hospital room the morning after she had been talked off the roof of the Blackwell dorms. Max hadn’t just saved her life, she reminded her of all the reasons to live, herself becoming one of them. Kate had done a lot of thinking in the hospital that night, surrounded by her family. When they had all gone and she was left with nothing but a warm yellow light and the faint sound of the TV at the top corner of the room, mixing with the sounds of bustle in the hallway, a feeling blossomed in her chest for Max that felt…unexpected. She knew immediately what those feelings were and willed them away, only to feel them blooming again once Max visited her in the morning. Chloe had sat outside, listening in while Max had spoken to her, commenting on how her drawings were beautiful as always, and how she was glad for all of Kate’s support from others.

               The feeling had blossomed more in Max’s absence afterwards.

               The fierce storm that just missed the town was a relief, and Max and Chloe had been seen somewhere close to the lighthouse during the storm which provided a lot of gossip for the girls in Blackwell. Kate had wondered if she was in love with Chloe instead of her. Not that it mattered…she wouldn’t be able to be in a relationship with Max anyway. What would her family think?

               The more Kate saw Max, the more she found herself wanting to be around her. Kate found a niche in Blackwell, her tape taken by Nathan forgotten, and things were going better for her. No matter how many times she was invited to other girl’s dorms, asked to help someone with homework, or given general company, none of it made Kate happy quite like Max did.

               Max seemed to just…get her.

               Their personalities were alike, but they both had very different interests. They had enough interest in each other to listen about what the other enjoyed however. It was a refuge.

               The photographer had felt herself falling for Kate in the hospital room right after she had saved her. She had never done anything like saving a life before, and it made her feel protective afterwards. She wanted to always make sure Kate was safe and loved by at least one: herself. She enjoyed Kate’s company immensely. Since she was so proper and modest it was a refreshing change of pace from the regular life Max lead with science nerds knocking at her door with scary movies and her best friend swearing like the imaginary sailor she was. Kate was wonderfully kind and pure. Max adored her cute children’s drawings and felt that everything she did was beautiful. Max, even before Kate almost jumped, found herself having hidden feelings for her. It was those feelings and her morals that pushed her to do so much as stop time – and hold it – to save her life.

               Love was a strong word, but Max knew what it was and she couldn’t help herself.

               Many long nights were spent with Chloe, both girls talking about each other’s sexuality before Max brought up the fact that she was in love with Kate Marsh. Chloe, who was decently high at the time, immediately pushed Max off the bed, giggling like mad and beginning to push her to tell Kate.

               It wasn’t that simple.

               Max was a nervous person; afraid of rejection and afraid of ruining what friendship she had with Kate. She found it much better to simply go on as friends than risk becoming lovers with a strictly Christian girl. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to have to go through the fear of rejection by a family that wasn’t even her own. She didn’t want Kate to be shunned or disapproved of just because of her feelings. It wasn’t fair. Why did it have to be Kate of all people?

               As Max spent more and more time with her, she felt all the stages of love washing over her every time the girl was near. She wanted to buy her gifts, take her places, share things with her. When either was away, she felt homesick and only felt better as soon as she saw Kate again.

               Hand holding made her stomach flip and hugs made her giddy. It was hard to hold it back.

               Kate loved to hold Max’s hands. It made her feel so happy, and Max’s hugs were always so warm and intimate. There was never a half hug or a hug where she only hugged with her chest. No, Max hugged Kate with her whole body pressed against her, and Kate loved to relax into her arms.

               The night Max had confessed, both girls became terrified.

               Kate wasn’t expecting it, and Max had been pacing in her room, thinking and thinking…but ultimately, she didn’t care anymore. The only thing holding her back was how she would make Kate’s family react towards her. A text from Chloe had pushed her over the edge and without another thought, she had rushed out of her room, down to Kate’s dorm, knocking confidently if not a bit too loud. She had received a delicate call to come in. Upon opening the door, Max was met with the sight of Kate in her pajama’s reading a book on her bed, Alice in the corner looking content with the world.

               “Kate…” Max had begun, closing the door behind her.

               The girl had sat up on her bed, looking up at Max expectantly. It was unlike her to show up without a text first so whatever she had to say must have been important. Kate stood up and noticed the look on Max’s face. She seemed to be struggling with something.

               “Are you okay, Max?” The younger girl had asked, reaching forward for a hug. Max gladly stepped forward and held Kate close to her chest, closing her eyes tightly as she felt Kate rubbing her back comfortingly.

               “Kate I have to tell you something.” The older girl had said, nervousness and doubt pushing against her feelings.

               “Anything…” said Kate.

               “I…like you.” Max confessed, sounding choked.

               The younger girl, oblivious at first, backed up enough to look at Max in the eye, with her arms still around her.

               “I like you too!” Kate had giggled with a beautiful smile.

               Max felt something in her head snap and all she could think was simply: You’re already this far in. Screw it. And she kissed her.

               Kate’s eyes shut immediately, her head going blank. Her stomach dropped and her grip tightened against the back of Max’s hoodie. Max felt such an overwhelming happiness that she had to bring herself back down to earth before beginning to let go, an apology already  on her lips.

               To her immense surprise, Kate had held her stationary. Max relaxed a bit as the hesitant contact from the other girl’s lips pressed against her own. It was experimental, innocent, subdued. Kate kissed her back, gripping her tightly.

               The older girl had slowly let go, both girls opening their eyes slowly to look at the other.

               “…Oh…” was all Kate could muster.

               Max then rambled on about how she knew Kate was Christian and she knew that even if Kate liked her back that way, she wouldn’t want her to be the reason Kate’s family treated her badly. She respected her Religion…the good parts of it anyway.

               Kate hadn’t had a chance to reply at all before Max had rushed from the room, a bright red, flustered mess.

               …Kate loved her too.

               The following day was full of awkward glances during classes and standing at other ends of the room from one another. Max felt like she had fucked up more than she had ever fucked up in any relationship…save Chloe but that was a whole other matter. Kate was in the present, and real, and Max had so much love to give, but she knew she would most likely have to be confronted with rejection in the end.

               Kate was in a tizzy. Her mind being an absolute whirlwind, caused her to daydream in class and think about Max even more than she already did. She thought of her family…her mean aunt and her mother. Her father was sure to understand, but nothing was assured. She despised the bigotry in her family but it wasn’t quite enough to keep her from making the decision right away.

               Max couldn’t eat lunch that day. She sat next to Victoria Chase and stayed silent, listening to her talk about her every-day life, wondering if she was in the same world as Max was. She texted Chloe with her remorse while Chloe responded with comforting words, full of hope that Kate reciprocated her feelings.

               Kate looked at Max from across the lunchroom.

               At the end of the day, Kate had made her decision. It wasn’t an easy one, but it was one she felt was right. She walked up to Max’s room, unannounced and paused, listening to a sound on the other side of the door. Music. Max was playing her guitar, and it made the younger girl swoon, even before she knew her feelings for her. Kate lifted her hand after a moment of listening to knock lightly.

               Max looked up from her place on her couch and looked up in sudden panic.

               “Maxie?” a soft call came from behind the door.

               The photographer wanted to throw herself out the window and run, but she knew what would be the realistic result of that. Talking to Kate would be much better. She placed her guitar aside and opened the door, allowing Kate to come inside.

               The younger girl loved looking at her wall of photos. It was wonderful…Max was incredibly talented with a camera. Kate wasted no time at all in her confession.

               “Max…I-“

               “Look, I get it. I know I messed up.” Max had interrupted, “I shouldn’t have kissed you and everything, I just made things worse between us. I’d really appreciate it if we just forgot about this mess and-“

               Kate rushed forward and took Max’s face, kissing her hard.

               Max’s knees nearly gave out and Kate let go, looking her in the eye, “I like you too…”

               The photographer gawked.

               “Like….I like LIKE you..”

               “I-I…I get it, kate, thank you.” Stuttered the older girl.

               “You do?” Kate asked, relaxing, just as Max did. The slightly taller girl placed one arm around Kate’s chest, her other hand settling against her lower back. Kate watched as Max turned her head into her right hand, closing her eyes. Kate’s heart began to pound in a newfound joy and she placed some of Max’s hair behind her ear. It was new and strange, and different, and intimate but Kate…loved it.

               Max opened one eye to look at her, meeting a gaze full of shy, giddy love.

               “…What about your-“ Max began.

               “I don’t care.” Kate said, “I…wouldn’t trust anyone as much as I trust you. I can’t see myself with anyone but y-you…”

               “Would you…y’know.” Max said, looking at Kate’s lips.

               The younger girl nodded slowly and leaned upwards. Max closed the gap and hugged her tightly. Kate naturally turned her head to the side and deepened their kiss. She ran her fingers through Max’s hair and felt herself beginning to laugh as Max smiled against her lips. She was just…so happy.

               Max kissed her face when Kate let go, giggling and laughing. She hid her face in Max’s shoulder shyly and Max kissed the top of her head. This was what she had been wanting. She knew she could make Kate happy this way…if not happier than if they had remained friends.

               Their relationship had progressed slowly and innocently, Kate asking before doing anything romantic or intimate with Max. Her affection was always welcome. The one thing the couple found that they enjoyed doing together more than anything was taking naps together in the afternoon, so they did it often.

               They continued to find out new things about each other, and not a day went by when they couldn’t say they didn’t want to be without the other